Old Trousers: Battalion Level Napoleonic Warfare

OLD TROUSERS
WARFARE IN THE HORSE & MUSKET ERA
BATTALION LEVEL NAPOLEONIC WARFARE
Version 2.4
oldgrumbler@hotmailcom Website: http://www.greatbasin.net/~johnkelly/
“Old Trousers: Warfare in the Horse & Musket Era”

Copyright 2002 by John P Kelly
Old Trousers by John P Kelly 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
RULES PHILOSOPHY.......................................................................................................................... 5
SCALE.................................................................................................................................................... 5
BASING.................................................................................................................................................. 6
EQUIPMENT ......................................................................................................................................... 6
TROOP RATINGS................................................................................................................................. 6
ARMY ORGANIZATION ..................................................................................................................... 6
SEQUENCE OF PLAY .......................................................................................................................... 7
INITIATIVE PHASE ............................................................................................................................. 8
RANDOM EVENT PHASE ................................................................................................................... 8
ORDERS................................................................................................................................................. 9
ORDERS: ORDER POINT TABLE .................................................................................................... 10
ORDERS: OUT OF COMMAND ........................................................................................................ 10
ENGAGEMENT RANGE .................................................................................................................... 10
COMMANDERS .................................................................................................................................. 11
COMMANDERS: RATINGS.............................................................................................................. 11
COMMANDERS: COMMAND RANGE ............................................................................................ 11
COMMANDERS: ATTACHMENT & CASUALTIES ....................................................................... 12
MOVEMENT: SEQUENCE ................................................................................................................ 12
MOVEMENT: FORWARD MOVEMENT, FACING, & FLANKS................................................... 12
MOVEMENT: ABOUT FACE ............................................................................................................ 12
MOVEMENT: FACING CHANGE..................................................................................................... 12
MOVEMENT: OBLIQUE & RETROGRADE ................................................................................... 13
MOVEMENT: CAVALRY .................................................................................................................. 13
MOVEMENT: ARTILLERY............................................................................................................... 13
MOVEMENT: COMMANDERS......................................................................................................... 13
MOVEMENT: FORMATIONS........................................................................................................... 13
CAVALRY BATTLE GROUPS .......................................................................................................... 14
MOVEMENT: FORMATION CHANGES ......................................................................................... 14
MOVEMENT: RATES ........................................................................................................................ 14
MOVEMENT: TERRAIN EFFECTS.................................................................................................. 14
MOVEMENT: OPERATIONAL......................................................................................................... 15
MOVEMENT: INTERPENETRATION ............................................................................................. 15
MOVEMENT: CHARGES .................................................................................................................. 15
MOVEMENT: ROUTS ........................................................................................................................ 16
DISORDER .......................................................................................................................................... 16
FIRE COMBAT: SEQUENCE ............................................................................................................ 16
FIRE COMBAT: MUSKETRY ........................................................................................................... 17
FIRE COMBAT: ARTILLERY........................................................................................................... 18
FIRE COMBAT: FLANK FIRE BY ARTILLERY ............................................................................ 18
FIRE COMBAT: ARTILLERY BOUNCE THROUGH..................................................................... 19
FIRE COMBAT: OPPORTUNITY FIRE ........................................................................................... 19
FIRE COMBAT: VISIBILITY ............................................................................................................ 19
CHARGES: GENERAL RULES ......................................................................................................... 19
CHARGES: SEQUENCE..................................................................................................................... 19
CHARGES: FLANK ATTACKS......................................................................................................... 20
CHARGES: DEFENDERS REACTION ............................................................................................. 20
CHARGES: CHARGE TESTS ............................................................................................................ 21
CHARGES: CAVALRY RECALL...................................................................................................... 21
CHARGES: CAVALRY VS CAVALRY............................................................................................. 21
CHARGES: CAVALRY VS INFANTRY OR ARTILLERY.............................................................. 22
CHARGES: CAVALRY SKIRMISHERS........................................................................................... 22
CHARGES: COSSACKS & IRREGULAR CAVALRY ..................................................................... 22
CHARGES: OPPORTUNITY CHARGES.......................................................................................... 22
REACTION TEST ............................................................................................................................... 23

MELEE COMBAT............................................................................................................................... 23
MELEE: MULTIPLE ROUNDS ......................................................................................................... 24
MELEE COMBAT: SQUARES VS CAVALRY ................................................................................ 24
MELEE COMBAT: MULTIPLE UNITS............................................................................................ 25
MELEE COMBAT: ATTACHED ARTILLERY................................................................................ 25
BREAKTHROUGHS ........................................................................................................................... 25
BREAKTHROUGHS: IMPETUOUS UNITS ..................................................................................... 26
BLOWN CAVALRY ............................................................................................................................ 26
TERRAIN ............................................................................................................................................. 26
MORALE RATING & MORALE STATES........................................................................................ 26
MORALE TESTS................................................................................................................................. 27
RALLYING ROUTED UNITS ............................................................................................................ 28
VISIBILITY ......................................................................................................................................... 28
SKIRMISHERS.................................................................................................................................... 28
SKIRMISHERS: MOVEMENT .......................................................................................................... 28
SKIRMISHERS: APPROACHING CAVALRY ................................................................................. 28
SKIRMISHERS: RETREAT BEFORE AN ADVANCING ENEMY................................................. 29
SKIRMISHERS: COMBAT ................................................................................................................ 29
SKIRMISHERS: SCREENS, VISIBILTY, & INTERPENETRATION............................................. 29
SKIRMISHERS: ORGANIC SKIRMISHERS.................................................................................... 29
TOWNS: BLOCKS .............................................................................................................................. 29
TOWNS: MOVEMENT INTO & OUT OF TOWN BLOCKS ........................................................... 30
TOWNS: FIRE COMBAT ................................................................................................................... 30
TOWNS: MELEE COMBAT .............................................................................................................. 30
TOWNS: ATTACKING A TOWN BLOCK FROM AN ADJACENT TOWN BLOCK ................... 30
TOWNS: CONTESTED BLOCKS ...................................................................................................... 31
REDOUBTS.......................................................................................................................................... 31
BRITISH INFANTRY.......................................................................................................................... 31
OPTIONAL RULES............................................................................................................................. 31
PREBATTLE MANUEVER ................................................................................................................ 31
VARIBLE TROOP QUALITY ............................................................................................................ 32
RANDOM CORPS COMMANDER.................................................................................................... 32
VARIABLE LEADER ABILITY......................................................................................................... 32
IMPETUOUS TROOPS ....................................................................................................................... 33
LEADER MOBILITY.......................................................................................................................... 33
DIVISIONAL MORALE...................................................................................................................... 33
DEFINITIONS ..................................................................................................................................... 33
ILLUSTRATIONS ............................................................................................................................... 34
DESIGNER NOTES............................................................................................................................. 35
RULES PHILOSOPHY
Those fascinated by Napoleonic tactics have long enjoyed playing battalion level miniature rules. Unlike in
brigade level games, the formations so characteristic of Napoleonic warfare are of great importance when playing at the
battalion level. There are several fine sets of battalion level rules on the market. Despite this the author has found most
of them to be too slow & difficult to learn for his tastes. This rule set is meant to address this circumstance. Hopefully,
players will find this to be a fast playing historically accurate battalion level game.
All rules need to have a point of focus. The point of focus of these rules is not meant to be the intricacies of
combat, but rather the difficulty of managing troops on the battlefield. Players are each given a limited number of
orders each turn to accomplish their goals. Once troops become engaged they become much more difficult to control.
These rules are meant to be relatively fast playing rules. A calculator is not necessary & every effort has been
made to limit the number of necessary game charts. A 9 foot by 5 foot ping pong table will allow one to represent a
battlefield that is 3.1 by 1.7 miles. This will accommodate battles such as Waterloo, Ligny, or Quatre Bras.
The rules should be read through once & then the player should set up a small battle of no larger than 1
division per side. After one or two playings the game can be played from the game charts without reference to the body
of the rules.
SCALE
These rules are written to be used with 15mm figures. They may be used with figures of other sizes by simply
multiplying all distance by 1.5 for 25 mm figures & dividing by 1.5 for 6 mm figures.
The basic units represented are the infantry battalion, the cavalry regiment, & the artillery battery. These
units will generally be the smallest unit size allowed in the game & will be the unit of maneuver.
Each infantry or cavalry figure represents 60 men. Each artillery piece represents 2 to 6 guns. Each turn
represents 20 minutes & each inch is 50 yards.
Troops will be organized into brigades, divisions, & corps. Division, cavalry brigade, corps, & army leaders
are represented by figures. Infantry brigade commanders are not represented by figures.
The author finds that the 2 divisions & 1 or 2 cavalry brigades per player works very well. Larger games can
be played but the time required increases in a nonlinear fashion.
BASING
The exact basing of figures is not crucial to the game mechanics. With a little thought players should be able
to adapt other basing systems. What follows is the basing system used by the author.
Each infantry stand will generally represent 1 company. Each stand must contain a minimum of 2 figures so
that in some rare cases a stand will represent 2 companies. Infantry stands should never contain over 4 figures.
Each cavalry stand will contain 2 or 3 figures representing 1 squadron. Each artillery stand will contain 1 or
more model guns with each model representing from 2 to 6 real guns. Each artillery stand will have 1 to 3 artillerymen
figures.
All figures will be mounted in a single row. The recommended stand size per figure is:
UNIT TYPE FRONTAGE DEPTH

Infantry 3 rank 3/8 inch ½ inch
Infantry 2 rank ½ inch ½ inch
Cavalry ¾ inch 1 ¼ inch
Artillery per gun 3/8 inch 1 ½ inch
Command 1 ¼ inch 1 ¼ inch
Figures should be mounted on bass wood, metal, or heavy cardboard bases. It is recommended that a
common white water soluble glue, such as often used in grade schools, be used to glue the figures to their stands.
The Army Lists have the suggested mounting for each country. The basing system is generally identical to
the one used by Empire published by The Emperor’s Press & From Valmy to Waterloo published by Clash of Arms
Games.
EQUIPMENT
Players will need the following equipment to play:
The troops! Red, Yellow, Blue, & Black pipe cleaners

A 10 sided die Either counters or chips
A tape measure Casualty Caps
Those opposed to table clutter should forego the casualty caps & pipe cleaners & use a roster system.
TROOP RATINGS
Troops will be classified as infantry, artillery, or as cavalry. Each combat unit will be assigned a nationality, a
starting size, a morale rating, & a skirmish rating.
Troops may also classified as untrained or impetuous. Untrained troops will move poorly in a line formation
& impetuous troops will be harder to control in a charge.
Cavalry is classified as light, medium, or heavy. Cavalry will also be classified as to whether it is equipped
with lances or wears a cuirass.
Artillery is rated by the size of projectile that it fires (6 pdr, 8 pdr, 12 pdr) & its mode of transport. Foot
artillery has the gunners walk while horse artillery has mounts for its gunners.
ARMY ORGANIZATION
Most historical brigades contained from 2 to 6 battalions. Most historical divisions contained from 2 to 4
brigades.
If players do not wish to use historical units, or if a hypothetical battle is being fought, then it is
recommended that each infantry brigade contain 3 or 4 battalions & that each infantry division contain 3 brigades. Each
Cavalry brigade should contain 2 or 3 regiments & a cavalry division should contain 2 or 3 brigades. There should be
about 1 artillery battery per brigade.
A small scenario may not have a corps commander present. In such a case choose an appropriate rating for
the off board corps commander. The division commanders will always be considered to be within command range.
SEQUENCE OF PLAY
The game is composed of turns each of which has a defined sequence of events. Once a turn is completed
then another turn is begun. The player who’s Phase it is, is referred to as the Phasing Player & his units are the phasing
units. The other player is the nonphasing player.
I. Initiative Phase
Each player rolls 1D10 to determine who has the initiative.
II. Random Event Phase

Each player checks for any random events.
III. First Player’s Phase

A. Order Segment
The player will determine which division commanders are within the range of their corps or army commander. He will
then die roll to determine how many Order Points each division commander will receive. Each division commander
will then receive the proper number of Order Points, which he will use to issue orders to combat units under his
command. Mark any combat that units that are out of command.
B. Action Segment
1. Rally Subsegment
Leaders may move & attach or detach. The player may issue Rally orders to routed combat units & they may attempt to
rally. Any routed unit that does not rally must make a rout move.
2. Movement Subsegment
The player will issue orders to combat units. Units that are issued orders may move, charge, & change facing or
formation. Leaders not yet moved may move & attach or detach. Charging units will declare their charge & the
defenders their reaction. All charging & counter charging units are moved. Units that do not receive an order may only
change facing, rally from a shaken status, or remove disorder.
3. Defensive Fire & Firefight Subsegment
All combat units belonging to the nonphasing player & those units, which belong to the phasing player that did not
move may now, fire. All fire during this subsegment is considered to occur simultaneously.
4. Charge Test Subsegment
Charging units must roll on the Charge Test Table. If they are successful then move them adjacent to their target. If
they are not then they remain halted.
5. Offensive Fire Subsegment
Combat units, which belong to the phasing player, that have not yet fired may now do so. Generally these will be units
which just moved. Charging units which failed to close & melee may also fire.
6. Melee Subsegment
Resolve all melees resulting from any charges.
7. Breakthrough Subsegment
Conduct any breakthrough moves & melees by units which just won a melee.
C. Order Removal Segment
All order chits are now removed from the table.
IV. Second Player’s Phase

As for the first player.
V. End of Turn Phase

Check for victory.
INITIATIVE PHASE
Each player rolls 1D10 & modifies his die roll by all appropriate modifiers. The player with the highest
modified roll is the Initiative player. He may decide which player must move first. If the initial modified die roll is tied
then the players must reroll using no modifiers. Players continue to reroll with no modifiers till one player rolls higher.
Each player modifies his initiative die roll by the rating of his senior ranking leader. The player’s staff rating
will also modify the initiative die roll. Each country has a rating for its military staff.
If a player has surprise then his initiative die roll will be modified by the surprise modifier. The scenario will
state if a player has surprise & for how many turns he will have it.
A player will apply the momentum modifier only if he moved first on the preceding turn. If a player wins the
initiative but does not choose to move first then his opponent will receive the momentum modifier.
INITIATIVE DIE ROLL MODIFIERS

Leader Rating Staff Rating Situation
Excellent +2 Superb +2 Surprise +2
Good +1 Professional +1 Momentum +1
Average +0 Competent +0
Fair -1 Inefficient -1
Poor -2 Incompetent -2
RANDOM EVENT PHASE

This phase may be considered to be optional. Each player rolls 1D10 to determine if he is subject to any
random events. On a die roll of 1 or 2 the player experiences a random event. He must now roll 1D10 to determine the
nature of the event.
RANDOM EVENT TABLE

DIE ROLL EVENT DIE ROLL EVENT
1 Uncontrolled rout 6 Inflamed piles
2 Wrong turn 7 Rain/Snow
3 Traffic jam 8 Hidden ford
4 Command confusion 9 Command bonus
5 Difficult terrain 10 Rout halted
Difficult terrain- Any units in woods or poor ground may not move or change formation this turn.
Uncontrolled rout- For this turn, the player may not attempt to rally any routed units.
Traffic jam- All reinforcements are delayed by 1 turn.
Wrong turn- The next scheduled reinforcement is delayed for 4 turns.
Hidden ford- The player may place a ford along any stream or minor river.
Inflamed piles- The players most senior commander may not voluntarily move for this turn.
Rain/Snow- All fire combat receives a –1 modifier for both players.
Command confusion- All of the player’s divisional commanders receive two less Order Points this turn.
Command Bonus- A side that has a staff rating of competent, professional, or superb receives three extra Order Points
per division commander.
Rout halted- All routed units recover to shaken status. They may not move this turn but they may fire.
ORDERS
Before a combat unit may perform most game activities it must have been issued an order. Each turn each
player will receive a limited number of Order Points. These Points must be used on the turn that they are received or
they will be lost. Order Points may not be accumulated from one turn to the next. All orders will only apply for the turn
that they are issued.
All units may fire, attempt to opportunity charge, react to a charge, attempt to rally from shaken to good
morale, or remove disorder without requiring an order. Unengaged units may change facing without an order. No unit
may move, charge, change formation or attempt to rally from rout status without an order. Commanders never need
orders to move, attach, or to detach. See Commanders. Units that are entirely broken down into skirmish formation do
not require orders.
A cavalry brigade commander may issue orders to any unit in his brigade & a division commander may issue
orders to any unit in his division. The division commander may issue his orders himself or he may transfer his Order
Points to his cavalry brigade commanders for the brigade commander’s use.
Units that are not attached to a brigade or a division, such as corps level combat units, may be given orders
by any commander in the proper chain of command.
The following orders may be issued:
Move- This may be issued to any unengaged unit or units. The unit may move, change formation/facing, or attempt to
charge. A single move order may be issued to more than one combat unit. A single order may not be issued to both
infantry & cavalry units.
Charge- This may only be issued to an engaged unit. The unit will attempt to charge.
Retreat- This may only be issued to an engaged unit. The unit will attempt to disengage by moving out of engagement
range.
Change formation/facing- This may only be issued to an engaged unit. The unit will attempt to change its formation &
it’s facing.
Advance- This order may only be given to engaged units. The unit may not change its formation but it may change its
facing & advance toward, but not charge, the enemy.
Rally- This may be issued to any unit. The unit will attempt to improve its morale from a routed status.
A commander may issue a single move order simultaneously to all of the units in his command that are not
engaged & that are in his command range. This is the only time that an order may be issued to more than one unit. A
single order may not be issued to both infantry & cavalry units. In all other cases a single order may only be issued to a
single unit.
An unlimbered artillery unit must always be issued a separate order, even if it is not within engagement
range.
A move order may only be issued to one unit at a time if the unit is out of the commanders command range.
A Charge, Retreat, Change formation/facing, Advance, or Rally order may only be issued to one unit at a time.
Orders should be represented by chits (pieces of cardboard, etc.) Each division commander will have a
number of chits equal to his number of Order Points placed beside him. These chits will then be distributed to combat
units & cavalry brigade commanders as needed.
Orders should be issued to all of the units under the command of a commander before any of his units are
moved. Players may, if they agree, require that orders be issued to all of the units of an entire army before any of the
units move. It will likely be most convenient to simply first issue orders to a single division, move the units of that
division, then move on to the next division. Following this procedure will prevent ambiguous situations on the tabletop
as the following example will show.
Example: The phasing player has issued orders to all of his units & he now begins to move them. He first
begins to move an infantry column. As it moves it comes to within the opportunity charge range of an enemy cavalry
unit. The enemy cavalry declares an opportunity charge. The Phasing player has a friendly cavalry unit nearby that
could potentially protect his infantry unit by charging the enemy cavalry. As he did not issue a charge order to this unit
it must now sit back & watch events unfold.
ORDERS: ORDER POINT TABLE

Each turn the Phasing player will roll 1D10 on the Order Point Table to determine how many Order Points
each divisional commander will receive.
ORDER POINT TABLE

Die Roll Orders Corps Leader Staff Rating
<2 #-1 Excellent +2 Superb +2
2,3,4 #+0 Good +1 Professional +1
5,6,7 #+1 Average 0 Competent +0
8,9 #+2 Fair -1 Inefficient -1
10 #+3 Poor -2 Incompetent -2
Corps Leader- This is the die roll modifier that is applied based on the rating of the Corps leader.
Staff Rating- This is determined by the rating of the nations military staff.
# - This is determined for each side prior to the start of the battle. Each player will add up his total number of infantry
battalions, cavalry regiments, & artillery batteries. This total is divided by the number of the player’s division
commanders. The resulting number is divided by 3 for French & British armies. It will be divided by 4 for all other
armies. If a side has mixed forces then the calculation should be performed separately for each nationality.
It costs 1 Order Point to issue an order to a unit in command range. A division commander that is out of the
command range of his corps or army commander will receive # - 1 Order Points.
Example: The following is an example of how to calculate up the number of order points that an army will receive.
A French commander is in command of a corps that consists of 3 infantry divisions & 2 cavalry brigades. In addition to
the corps commander (command range = 18 inches) each of the infantry divisions will have a division commander
(command range = 12 inches.) Each of the cavalry brigades will have a brigade commander (command range = 6
inches.) The corps commander is rated as Good. The staff rating is Professional.
Each infantry division contains 12 infantry battalions & 3 artillery batteries. Each of the cavalry brigades contains 3
cavalry regiments. The French commander has a total of (3 x 15) + (2 x 3) = 51 combat units under his command.
Each turn he will receive a base of 51/3 = 17 order points. The French commander assigns each cavalry brigade to a
different division. Each of the divisions containing a cavalry brigade will have a base of 6 order points per turn & the
remaining division will have a base of 5 order points per turn.
(6 + 6 + 5 = 17) Lets call the divisions A, B, & C. Divisions A & B will get a base of 6 order points per turn & division
C will get a base of 5 order points per turn.
Each turn the player will roll 1D10 for each of his 3 divisions to determine the number of order points the division will
receive. Lets say that on the first turn the division commanders of divisions A & B are within the command range of the
corps commander & that the division commander of division C is out of the corps commanders range. Division A rolls
a 8 which modifies to a 10. The division will receive 6 + 3 = 9 order points. Division B rolls a 3 which modifies to a 5.
Division B will receive 6 + 1 = 7 order points. As division C’s commander is out of the corps commanders range it
does not roll. It automatically receives the worst possible die roll. It will receive 5 –1 = 4 order points.
ORDERS: OUT OF COMMAND

It costs two Order Points for a commander to issue an order to a combat unit that is out of the commanders
command range.
Only 2 Order Points may be transmitted to a cavalry brigade commander that is out of command range.
A move order may only be issued to one unit at a time if the unit is out of the commanders command range.
During the Phasing player’s Order Segment, all combat units that are out of command should be marked with
a black pipe cleaner.
ENGAGEMENT RANGE
Once combat units engage the enemy they become harder to command. This is represented by the use of an
engagement range. All units within engagement range have special rules that apply to them.
A unit is considered to be engaged with the enemy when it begins the phase in which it is a Phasing unit with
a nonrouted enemy unit that is not in skirmish formation within 8 inches.
Units that are engaged with the enemy must each be issued a separate order. A single order may never apply
to more than one engaged unit. Any order but a move order may be issued to engaged units.
An engaged unit may not make any movement, facing change, or formation change without an order. The
only things that an engaged unit may do without an order is fire, react to a charge, attempt to rally from shaken morale
to good morale, & remove disorder.
COMMANDERS
Commanders & their staff will be represented by one or more figures. Commanders may issue orders &
attach to combat units. Commanders have no intrinsic combat value & may not fire or add to a melee, though they may
provide die roll modifiers in a melee.
Cavalry brigade commanders may issue orders to combat units & attach to combat units.
Division commanders may distribute Order Points to cavalry brigade commanders, issue orders to combat
units, & attach to combat units.
Corps commanders may attach to combat units & place division commanders under command so that they
may receive Order Points each turn. Corps commanders may not issue orders.
Army commanders function the same as corps commanders do. They may, however, be used to place any
division commander in command. Corps commanders do not need to be placed under command by army commanders.
All commanders may move, attach, or detach without an order. Orders are only issued to combat units.
COMMANDERS: RATINGS
Army & corps commanders will have individual ratings. Cavalry brigade & division commander’s ratings
will determined by their nationality.
Corps & army commanders will be rated for overall leadership. The possible ratings are:
Excellent +2 Fair -1
Good +1 Poor -2
Average +0
This rating will effect the initiative die roll & will effect the number of orders that each division commander
will receive.
All commanders also have a tactical rating. This rating will effect the die rolls of any unit that they are
attached to. The possible ratings are Good, Average, & Poor.
COMMANDERS: COMMAND RANGE

A leaders command range is measured at the beginning of the player’s phase before any movement is made.
Commanders have the following command ranges:
COMMANDER RANGE
Cavalry Brigade 6 inches
Infantry Division 12 inches
Cavalry Division 12 inches
Corps/Army 18 inches
If any portion of a combat unit is within the commander’s range & line of sight then it is considered to be in
command. Neither friendly nor enemy units block line of sight for this purpose. Only terrain will block line of sight for
command purposes.
COMMANDERS: ATTACHMENT & CASUALTIES

Commanders may attach themselves to combat units that are under their command. A commander may only
attach himself to one combat unit at a time. The commander is placed adjacent to the combat unit & remains attached to
it & moves with it until the player announces otherwise. A commander may only detach from a unit while the player is
the phasing player. An unattached commander may attach to a combat unit that is under his command & within 6
inches at any time. This may even occur when the player is not the phasing player. A combat unit will receive
modifiers if a commander is attached to it.
If a commander is attached to a unit that suffers any combat losses then one must immediately roll 1D10 to
determine if the commander is disabled. For each casualty suffered there is a 10% chance that the commander is
disabled & is immediately removed from the game. As usual a low roll will bring an adverse result.
A disabled commander will be replaced on the following turn. He must be placed within 2 inches of a unit
under his command. A replacement commander may move & attach on the turn that he appears on the table but he may
not issue any orders during his first turn. He will be ranked one category worse in all attributes than the commander he
replaced.
A division or brigade without a functioning commander will automatically be out of command as will all of
its combat units. It will still receive orders & its combat units may still be issued orders. All of the usual penalties for
out of command units will apply.
MOVEMENT: SEQUENCE
The Phasing player will generally be the only player to move units. The only movement that may be
conducted by the nonphasing player is opportunity charges by cavalry, countercharges, & leader attachment. Combat
units & leaders are generally moved one at a time.
MOVEMENT: FORWARD MOVEMENT, FACING, & FLANKS

Each combat unit will have a facing. The front of the unit is the direction in which the miniature figures are
facing. A line drawn along the front edge of the unit perpendicular to the direction in which the figures point, defines
the front of the unit. Everything behind this line is the flank/rear zone of the unit.
The forward movement arc is a pie shaped wedge. The sides of the wedge angle out 22.5 degrees from the
front of the unit.
To move a unit forward simply pick it up & move it forward such that it maintains the same facing & ends up
in the pie shaped forward movement arc defined by its initial position.
MOVEMENT: ABOUT FACE

A combat unit may make an about face at any time during its move. To do so simply face the unit in the
opposite direction from which it is currently facing. An about face costs a unit ¼ of its total movement allowance.
MOVEMENT: FACING CHANGE

A unit may change its facing as part of its movement. Facing changes may be done at anytime during a unit’s
movement. As a unit changes it’s facing then its forward movement arc will change.
To perform a facing change, rotate the unit about one of its forward corners so that one corner remains
stationary. Measure the amount of ground covered by the moving forward corner.
A unit that makes no movement may also make a facing change. In such a case simply face the unit in any
desired direction. To do so rotate the unit about its center.
MOVEMENT: OBLIQUE & RETROGRADE

Infantry may move in a direction out of its forward movement arc. Move the unit in the desired direction
while maintaining its current facing. Each inch moved will count as double.
MOVEMENT: CAVALRY
In general cavalry will move the same as infantry. As it is generally impossible to ride a horse in formation in
any direction but forward, cavalry may only move into its frontal movement arc. It may never make oblique or
retrograde moves. It may about face.
MOVEMENT: ARTILLERY
Artillery may be limbered or unlimbered. Unlimbered artillery is deployed & ready to fire. Limbered artillery
is ready to move & is unable to fire.
Unlimbered artillery has a facing which is the same as infantry & cavalry. When unlimbered artillery wishes
to move it must be moved by hand by the gunners. This is called a prolong move & is very slow.
Limbered artillery has no facing & hence movement in any direction is counted as forward movement.
Limbered artillery is moved by horses.
It costs artillery ½ of its movement to either limber or unlimber. Hence an artillery unit may either limber &
move or it may unlimber & prolong. A unit may not limber, move, & unlimber all in the same turn. Artillery may fire
on the same turn that it unlimbers. It will, however, receive the –1 die roll modifier for moving.
MOVEMENT: COMMANDERS
Commanders may move up to 20 inches per turn. An unattached commander may not voluntarily approach to
with 3 inches of an enemy unit. An unattached commander will automatically immediately retreat from an advancing
enemy unit so as to stay 3 inches away from the enemy unit. See the optional rules regarding commander movement.
MOVEMENT: FORMATIONS
Infantry may be in column, line, square, or skirmish formation. Cavalry may be in column, line, or skirmish
formation. Artillery may be limbered or unlimbered.
Any formation that is 3 stands wide moves as a line. Any formation that is 2 or more stands deep takes fire as
a column.
A line should generally be perfectly straight. It may only curve to conform to a terrain feature such as a wall
or sunken road.
A square is a formation with the stands facing in all four directions. A square does not have a facing & has no
flank.
A company column is 1 stand wide. An attack column is 2 stands wide. French & French allied infantry units,
Austrian infantry beginning in 1809, & Russian infantry may use an attack column. Refer to the troop lists for other
infantry that may use an attack column. All cavalry units may use an attack column. One should note that both the
company column & attack column are combat formations. Neither represents a march column. A march column is
abstractly represented by the Operational Movement rules.
A unit in skirmish order is placed with its stands not touching. It will have a frontage of 1 to 2 inches per
infantry figure & 2 to 3 inches per cavalry figure. Units in skirmish formation have no facing & may move in any
direction with no penalty.
Limbered artillery may be placed in any arrangement so long as all of the stands of the battery are touching
another stand of the battery. Unlimbered artillery is placed in a line with all of the stands facing in the same direction.
Except for skirmish formations & routed units, all of the stands of a unit must be in contact with another
stand of the unit. Routed units have their stands placed randomly in close proximity to one another. Routed units have
no facing.
CAVALRY BATTLE GROUPS

Cavalry regiments were frequently broken down & used as squadrons. If players wish, then they may agree to
allow cavalry to operate in battle groups. This will actually simulate historical tactics better then employing cavalry in
full regiments.
Each battle group must have at least 4 figures when it is formed. Battle groups will function independently of each
other. They will check morale separately, receive separate orders, & keep separate track of any casualties that are
suffered. Battle groups may be reformed into full regiments. In order to do so the battle groups need to end their move
adjacent & in command.
MOVEMENT: FORMATION CHANGES

It costs French infantry (& some French allies) ¼ of its movement to change formation. All other infantry
pays ½ of its movement to change formation. It costs all cavalry ¼ of its movement to change formation.
When a unit changes its formation it must maintain the same facing. A unit may change its formation at any
point in its move. Its maximum movement allowance will be that of the slowest formation that it has been in. If it has
exceeded the movement allowance of a formation that it has just changed into then it must immediately stop.
MOVEMENT: RATES
When moving across clear terrain combat units will move at the following movement rates:
MOVEMENT TABLE
COMPANY ATTACK
TROOP TYPE LINE COLUMN COLUMN SKIRMISH SQUARE
Infantry 4” 8” 6” 12” 2”
Light Cavalry 9” 18” 14” 18” --
Other Cavalry 8” 16” 12” 18” --
LIMBERED PROLONG
Foot Artillery 8” 2”
Artillery 12 pdr or greater 4” 1”
Horse Artillery 16” 2”
Some units, generally militia, will be classified as untrained. Untrained infantry units that move over 2 inches
when in a line formation will become disordered. Any square that moves becomes disordered.
MOVEMENT: TERRAIN EFFECTS

The following rules should only be interpreted as guidelines as to the effects of terrain. When setting up a
scenario players should determine the exact effects of terrain on their battlefield. If your contours are particularly steep
then increase the movement penalty & if your streams are wide & overflowing then adjust their effects. Otherwise
terrain has the following effects on movement rates:
TERRAIN TYPE MOVEMENT EFFECT

Poor Ground Formed units move at ½ speed
Light Woods Formed units move at ½ speed
Medium Woods Formed units move at ½ speed, Cavalry may not enter
Heavy Woods Formed units may not enter
Up a Contour Costs infantry 1”, cavalry & artillery 2”
Down a Contour Costs cavalry & artillery 1”
Streams Cost infantry 1”, cavalry & artillery 2”,
& Ditches May disorder any unit that crosses it if sufficiently wide or deep
Rivers May not be entered
Bridges Must be crossed in company column or skirmish
Stone Walls Cost infantry 3”, cavalry 6”, artillery may not cross
& Redoubts
Wooden Fences Costs all formed units 1”
Hedges Costs all formed units 1”
Formed units are all artillery, infantry, & cavalry units that are not routed & are not in skirmish formation.
Any unit that changes formation while in poor ground or in any form of woods becomes disordered. Cavalry may never
charge into any sort of woods or into a town block.
MOVEMENT: OPERATIONAL
Whenever a combat unit begins & ends its movement out of engagement range it may use Operational
Movement. A unit using Operational Movement will move at double its normal rate. Units doing so may not charge,
fire, or change formation.
MOVEMENT: INTERPENETRATION
A combat unit may never move through an enemy combat unit. Enemy leaders & enemy skirmishers will
automatically retreat before an advancing formed enemy combat unit. Commanders will automatically retreat so as to
stay at least 3 inches away from all enemy units. Skirmishers will retreat so as to stay 2 inches away from an
approaching enemy infantry unit that is not itself in skirmish formation. Skirmishers may be caught by approaching
enemy cavalry. See the section labeled Skirmishers for further details.
Units in skirmish formation may move through & may be moved through by other friendly units with no
penalty. Any unit may move through friendly artillery with no penalty. Friendly leaders may be ignored during
movement.
A friendly column or square may move through a friendly combat unit in line & vice versa. The moving unit
will become disordered at the completion of its movement & may not declare a charge for this turn. The unit that is
moved through will become disordered if it moves this turn.
A column or square may never move through another column or square.
If there is an overlap of 1 full figure then a unit is considered to have interpenetrated the other unit.
MOVEMENT: CHARGES
Whenever a combat unit declares a charge then it receives a movement bonus. Infantry will receive a charge
bonus of 3 inches & cavalry will receive a charge bonus of 8 inches. In order to receive the charge bonus a unit must
have declared a charge. A charge may only be declared by a unit that has either a Charge or a Move order.
A charging unit may change its facing & formation prior to making any charge movement. The unit must
then complete its charge movement in a straight line until it contacts an enemy unit or exhausts its movement
allowance. The charge movement must be a straight line that is somewhere in the unit’s front movement arc. Once a
combat unit has begun its charge movement it may no longer make any facing or formation changes. The movement
must be performed so that the center of the charging unit will contact somewhere on the target of the charge. See the
section labeled Charges for further details.
A combat unit may not approach to within 2 inches of an enemy unit unless it has charged.
MOVEMENT: ROUTS
Each turn that a routed unit does not rally it will move toward its baseline. Routed units will move 12 inches
per turn.
A routed unit will move in, as nearly as possible, a straight line toward its baseline. Except for terrain that is
impassable, it will not deviate for terrain. On the first turn of its rout it will fall back in a straight line directly away
from the enemy for 6 inches. During this initial rout move it will not try to avoid friendly units. After the initial 6
inches of movement & on any turn after the first rout move, it may try to avoid friendly units. There must be a space of
at least 1 inch available for a routed unit to move through or it will interpenetrate friendly units. Routing units are
considered to have a frontage of 1 inch. A routed unit will attempt to remain at least 6 inches away from all enemy
units.
Friendly units that are interpenetrated by a routing unit may not move & will automatically become shaken &
disordered.
A routed unit that rallies will make no movement on the turn that it rallies. A rallied unit may be immediately
placed in any formation other than skirmish. Routed units that do not rally will continue moving till they exit the
tabletop. Once they have left the tabletop then they may not return.
All unlimbered artillery units will abandon their guns when they rout. The guns will remain in place & may
be remanned if the routed unit should rally. Guns may not be fired on the turn that they are remanned.
DISORDER
In general there are 2 types of disorder in miniature wargame rules. One type of disorder relates to the morale
of the unit. In this rule set this state is called “Shaken” & is dealt with under the morale rules. The second type of
disorder is a mechanical one in which the unit’s formation becomes somewhat “jumbled up.” This is referred to as
disorder in this rule set. A combat unit will become disordered if any of the following occurs:
A square formed after passing a Reaction Test is disordered

A square that suffers casualties from artillery fire is disordered
Any square that has a lower modified melee combat roll than an attacking cavalry unit is disordered
An infantry square moves
An untrained infantry unit moves more than 2 inches in a line formation
A unit changes formation while in poor ground or any type of woods
A formed unit moves through another formed unit
A unit moves after being moved through by another formed unit
A unit is moved through by a routed unit
A unit fails a Reaction Test
A unit fails a Charge Test
A unit loses a melee
Any cavalry unit that charges is disordered at the end of the charge
A disordered unit may not charge, countercharge, roll on the Reaction Table, or change formation. A
disordered unit will receive a die roll modifier of –1 when firing.
To remove a disorder a unit must sit stationary for ½ of its move. It may then immediately remove the
disorder & expend its remaining movement. Any unit that does not move, such as a unit that had no orders, may
remove a disorder. A unit may not charge on the turn that it removes a disorder. A unit that is completely broken down
into skirmish formation will not suffer disorder. Mark a disordered unit with a blue pipe cleaner.
FIRE COMBAT: SEQUENCE

During the Defensive Fire & Firefight Subsegment all nonphasing units & phasing units that did not move
may fire. Combat units whose only movement was to change facing do not count as moving & may fire during this
phase. Units that changed formation count as moving & may not fire during this phase. All fire during this subsegment
is considered to occur simultaneously.
During the Offensive Fire Subsegment combat units which belong to the phasing player that have not yet
fired may now do so. Generally these will be units which have just moved.
If possible, all of the fire on a single target should be added together for a single die roll.
FIRE COMBAT: MUSKETRY

Only infantry may conduct musketry. Cavalry & artillery may not conduct musketry. Only the front rank of
figures in a formation may ever fire. Units may fire without an order.
Musketry range is 3 inches. Units armed with rifles have a range of 5 inches. A unit has a musketry arc that
extends out 45 degrees from its front toward its flanks. It is possible that only some of the figures in a unit will be able
to fire at a target. If it is not possible for all of the figures in a unit to fire on the same target then they may split their
fire on to more than one target.
To conduct musketry total up the fire points of all figures firing on the target. The fire points per infantry
figure are:
British Infantry 3 points

Other Infantry 2 points
British Infantry with enfilade 4 points
Other Infantry with enfilade 3 points
Infantry skirmishers 2 points
Cavalry skirmishers 1 point
A figure will count as having enfilade on a target if it is firing on the targets flank/rear. To fire on a target’s
flank the firer must be located behind the front of the target.
Total up all of the fire points firing on a target. Roll 1D10, apply any die roll modifiers, & consult the Fire
Combat Table. Cross index the proper number of fire points & the modified die roll to determine the number of hits
that are scored. All hits on artillery by musketry kill crew figures.
FIRE COMBAT TABLE
Fire # of Hits
Points 0 1 2 3 4
1-5 1-8 9-10 >10 -- --
6-10 1-5 6-9 10 >10 --
11-15 1-4 5-8 9-10 >10 --
16-20 1-4 5-6 7-9 10 >10
21-25 1-3 4-5 6-9 10 >10
26-30 1-2 3-5 6-7 8-9 10
31-35 1 2-4 5-6 7-9 10
36-40 <1 1-3 4-6 7-8 9-10
41-45 <0 1-2 3-5 6-7 8-10
46-50 <0 0 1-4 5-7 8-10
DIE ROLL MODIFIERS
Target is: Firer is:
In Cover Old Guard\Superior\Excellent +1
Light -1/0 Good +0
Medium -2/-1 Fair\Poor -1
Heavy -3/-2 Russian\Turkish –1
Unlim Art -2 Shaken -1
Column/Square +1/+2 Moving -1
Organic Skirmishers –1 Disordered -1
Skirmishers –3 Artillery Screened -1
Fr/Brit Skirmishers -4 Artillery in DOB +2
Town –1 Point Blank +2
Firefight +2 Artillery 2nd Round +1
In Cover- To receive the cover modifier at least ½ of the unit must be in cover. The number to the left of the slash is the
cover modifier against musketry. The number to the right of the slash is the cover modifier against artillery
(musketry/artillery.)
Unlim Art- Applies to unlimbered artillery.
Column/Square- The number to the left of the slash is for musketry fire & the number to the right of the slash is for
artillery fire.
Firefight- This applies to musketry that occurs in the Defensive Fire & Firefight Subsegment. If the target began the
subsegment in musketry range then apply this modifier. This reflects the fact that the target was within musketry range
for the entire 20 minute turn.
Town- Applies to any unit in a town. Cover modifiers will also apply.
Organic skirmishers- An infantry unit that has organic skirmishers or a skirmish ability receives this modifier when it is
fired on by enemy skirmishers. This does not apply when fired on by formed infantry or artillery.
Skirmishers- Is for any fire against a nonFrench or nonBritish combat unit that is broken down into skirmish order.
Fr/Brit Skirmishers- Is for any fire against a French or British combat unit that is broken down into skirmish order.
Russian\Turkish- This modifier only applies to musketry.
Moving- If a unit only changed facing then it does not count as moving. Does not apply to the nonphasing player.
Artillery Screened- Applies to firing artillery if enemy skirmishers are within musket (3”) or rifle (5”) range. This will
also apply if an artillery unit is firing through friendly skirmishers. See skirmishers.
Artillery in DOB- Artillery firing in defense of the battery. This applies only when an artillery unit is firing on a unit
that is charging it.
Point Blank- Applies to an infantry unit that is the target of a charge & has passed its reaction test to fire at point blank
range.
Artillery 2nd Round- A firing battery receives this modifier when it has not moved & it is firing for the second (or more)
consecutive time at the same target. The target must’ve moved less than 3 inches since the last fire.
For each hit scored one figure is killed. Place a casualty cap on a figure to represent the hit.
FIRE COMBAT: ARTILLERY

Only unlimbered artillery may conduct artillery fire. Artillery has a fire arc of 30 degrees. Units may conduct
artillery fire without an order. All hits on artillery by artillery destroys guns. Remember that each model cannon
represents two to six guns. The fire points per gun are:
Gun Range
Size Canister Effective Long
>12 pdr 5 3 2 Canister range = 6”
12 pdr 5 2 1 Effective range = 16”
8-9 pdr 4 2 1 Long range = 30”
6 pdr 4 1 0
<6 pdr 3 1 0
To conduct artillery fire total up the fire points of all guns firing on the target. Apply any appropriate die roll
modifiers & roll 1D10 on the Fire Combat Table. Musketry & artillery fire may be combined into one die roll.
FIRE COMBAT: FLANK FIRE BY ARTILLERY

When an artillery unit is firing on the flank of an enemy then increase its fire 1 fire point per gun. Flank fire
against a column is per the usual definition of enfilade fire.
Artillery will get the +1 fire point for flank fire when firing on a line if it fires from within a flanking arc. A
flanking arc is defined as extending 30 degrees from the end of the line toward the front & 30 degrees from the end of
the line toward the rear. Use the artillery arc game aid to determine this. Place it on the end of the line receiving fire. If
the firing battery lies within 30 degrees of the end of the line then it will receive the +1 fire point per gun for flank fire.
The line will suffer the flank fire modifier in any required morale test.
FIRE COMBAT: ARTILLERY BOUNCE THROUGH

Artillery fire will have bounce through. Any unit that is located directly behind & within 5 inches of the rear
most stand of the target combat unit is subject to bounce through fire. Draw a line from the center of the firing unit
through the center of the target unit. Any unit within 5 inches behind the target unit & within 1 inch of the line will
suffer bounce through fire.
To determine casualties inflicted by bounce through fire use the same die roll (do not roll again) & the same
modifiers but only ½ of the fire points. Apply any casualties to each unit receiving the bounce through fire.
Artillery bounce through will not occur under muddy conditions (determined by scenario rules), it will not
carry into poor ground or woods, it will go not uphill, & it will not cross a significant linear obstacle such as a creek or
stone wall.
FIRE COMBAT: OPPORTUNITY FIRE

Nonphasing firing units may fire on a moving unit at any point during its move. The moving unit will
complete its move & the firer simply designates at what point during its move it chooses to fire. Do not apply bounce
through fire when performing opportunity fire.
FIRE COMBAT: VISIBILITY

To be a target for musketry or artillery fire the firing unit must have a clear line of fire to the target. For a unit
to be a legitimate target at least 2 of its figures must be in range & line of sight. Both friendly & enemy units may block
the line of fire. An open firing lane between the firing unit & its target that is at least 2 inches wide that is free of all
units & obstructions is required.
CHARGES: GENERAL RULES

Units that conduct a charge will receive a movement bonus of 3 inches for infantry & 8 inches for cavalry. A
charge may only be declared as part of a Move Order, with a Charge Order, or as an Opportunity Charge.
Disordered units may not charge or countercharge. A unit may not charge on the turn that it removes
disorder. Infantry may never charge or countercharge cavalry. Artillery & infantry skirmishers may never charge.
Cavalry may never charge into any sort of woods or into a town block.
A charging unit will receive a favorable modifier in any resulting melee. Infantry receive a +2 DRM &
cavalry receive a +5 DRM. If a charging unit crosses a terrain obstacle during the last 3 inches of its charge movement
then it will not receive the charge modifier in any melee
CHARGES: SEQUENCE
When an infantry unit declares a charge it does so before it makes any movement, formation, or facing
changes. It must announce the target of its charge at the time that the charge is declared. It may only declare a charge
against an enemy unit that is in its forward movement arc. The target of the charge will then announce its reaction.
When a cavalry unit declares a charge then it does so before it makes any movement, formation, or facing
changes. It will not immediately declare a target. It may, however, only declare a charge against an enemy unit that is
in its forward movement arc. The defender then announces any formation or facing changes by any potential targets of
the charge. Next the charging unit declares the target of its charge. Finally the defender must attempt any formation or
facing changes that he announced.
Once the defender has completed any formation or facing changes then the charging unit will be moved. The
charger may change its facing & formation prior to making any movement. If the defender countercharged then the
movement of the units are prorated & they are moved into contact. A Charge Test will not be necessary whenever the
defender countercharges.
If the defender choose to stand then the charging unit is moved till it is 2 inches away from the defender &
movement is then halted. During the Defensive Fire & Firefight Subsegment the charging unit will receive any
premelee fire. A charging unit may also be subject to fire from units other than the target of the charge. Casualties
suffered during a charge movement do not require that the unit undergo a Morale Test. The Charge Test will serve to
substitute for the Morale Test.
After all defensive fire is completed the charging unit will take a Charge Test during the Charge Test
Subsegment. If it passes then it is moved into contact with its target. If it fails then it is disordered & makes no further
movement. It may still fire during the Offensive Fire Subsegment.
The general sequence of play when conducting a charge is:

1. Declare Charge- Movement Subsegment
2. Defenders Announce Reaction- Movement Subsegment
3. Declare Target of Charge- Movement Subsegment
4. Defender Reacts- Movement Subsegment
5. Charge Movement- Movement Subsegment
6. Premelee Fire- Defensive Fire & Firefight Subsegment
7. Charge Test- Charge Test Subsegment
8. Melee- Melee Subsegment
9. Breakthrough- Breakthrough Subsegment
CHARGES: FLANK ATTACKS

A charging unit will be eligible for a flank attack if at least one of its stands began its charge movement in the
flank/rear zone of the target.
CHARGES: DEFENDERS REACTION

The target of the charge may choose one of the following actions:
Stand
Countercharge
Flee
If the charged unit chooses to stand then it may attempt to change facing or formation. To do so it must pass a
Reaction Test. A unit that stands will fire at the charger before he takes a Charge Test & before contact is made. The
defender will fire at a range of 2 inches. If the defender chose to stand & did not take a Reaction Test to change its
facing or formation then it must take a Reaction Test to fire at point blank range. If the defender passes then it will
receive the +2 DRM for fire at point blank range. If it fails then it will be disordered & it will suffer the –1 DRM for
fire by a disordered unit.
If the defender chooses to countercharge then both the charging unit & the countercharging unit immediately
move. Their movement is prorated. No charge test is taken by either unit as a melee will automatically result.
A unit may choose to flee. When an infantry or cavalry unit does so it immediately falls to rout status &
immediately flees one rout move. It is possible that a fleeing unit may be caught by the charging unit. The charging unit
will automatically complete its charge & take the ground which was formerly occupied by the fleeing unit. If the
charging unit wishes then it may continue its charge till it contacts an enemy unit or till it runs out of movement.
Movement will continue in a straight line in the unit’s forward movement arc. Any such defending unit contacted will
be taken by surprise & may only choose to stand. It may not change facing or formation. It may, however, perform
premelee fire & roll on the Reaction Table for point blank fire.
An artillery unit that chooses to flee will not rout. If limbered then it may move a full move away from the
charger. If unlimbered then the artillerists may join any infantry unit that is within 6 inches. If no infantry unit is within
6 inches then they will rout. They will abandon their guns & may rejoin their guns on a subsequent move. They may
not fire the guns on the same turn that they rejoin them. See Melee Combat: Attached Artillery.
CHARGES: CHARGE TESTS

If the target of a charge has chosen to stand then the charger must take a Charge Test. If the target of the
charge chose to flee or to countercharge then no Charge Test is necessary. Roll 1D10 on the Charge Test Table. If the
modified die roll is greater than the number listed in the die roll column then the charging unit closes with the enemy. If
the modified die roll is equal or less than the number listed then the charging must halt 2 inches away from its target &
becomes disordered. Halted infantry may fire during the Offensive Fire Subsegment.
CHARGE TEST TABLE

Troop Die Die Roll
Rating Roll Modifiers Each Hit -1
Old Guard 2 Cavalry +4 Leader +2/+1/+0
Superior 3 vs Flank +5 Impetuous +1
Excellent 4 vs Routed +5 Organic
Good 5 Infantry vs Square +2 Skirmishers +1
Fair 6 Cavalry vs Square -3 Skirmish
Poor 7 Shaken –2 Screen +1
vs Cover –1 Infantry column +1
vs Artillery –1 National Bonus +1
Each hit –1. This refers to each hit suffered by the charging unit this turn. Any hits suffered on a previous turn do not
count.
Organic Skirmishers- Any infantry unit with organic skirmishers or with a skirmish ability receives this modifier when
charging.
Skirmish Screen- Any unit that charges through a friendly skirmish screen during the last 3 inches of its movement
receives this modifier. A unit may not receive both the Organic Skirmishers & the Skirmish Screen modifiers.
National Bonus- This will only apply to infantry units. If the charger is in a formation favored by its national doctrine
for attacking then this bonus is applied. The intent of this rule is to encourage historical formations. The formations for
which a national bonus will be received are listed in the army lists. The major countries are listed below:
Line- Great Britain, British allies, Austria thru 1809, Prussia thru 1809, Spain. Saxony thru 1809, Wurttemburg
Attack Column- France, French allies, Russia, Austria after 1809.
Company Column- France, French allies, Russia, Austria after 1809, Prussia after 1809, Ottoman Empire. All countries
receive this modifier if a town or fortification is being attacked.
CHARGES: CAVALRY RECALL

If cavalry has announced a charge against an infantry unit that has successfully formed square then the
Charging Unit must, as usual, take a Charge Test. Before the player rolls he must announce if he is rolling "To Close"
or if he is rolling "To Recall". If the unit passes the test then the player may do as he announced. If he Recalled the
cavalry then it will be placed 6 inches (300 yards) away from the square, facing the square, & disordered. Cavalry
receive a -3 die roll modifier when charging a square.
CHARGES: CAVALRY VS CAVALRY

In cavalry vs cavalry melees only the front rank of cavalry figures will be counted in a melee. When cavalry
is defeated in a melee then it will either rout back 12 inches or fall back 12 inches depending on the result. If it falls
back then it will do so facing the enemy.
Cavalry in addition to receiving the mass modifier cavalry also receives a +# overlap modifier for each figure
that it overlaps its cavalry opponent up to a maximum of +3. The # is equal to the number of figures by which it
overlaps its opponent.
Cavalry taking part in a melee may be broken down into 2 lines. The front line will actually fight the melee &
the second line will provide support. Each line must contain at least 4 figures. To qualify as a supporting second line
the second line must be must be located more or less directly behind the first line & within 8 inches (400 yards) of the
first line at the time of the melee. The lines may begin movement either adjacent or separated.
The second line, whether belonging to the phasing or to the nonphasing player, may always move to follow
the first line so as to maintain the proper distance. The moving second line may even receive the charge movement
bonus & may follow a breakthrough move. There can be no adverse terrain or formed troops between the 2 lines (poor
ground, woods, linear obstacles, fortifications, buildings.) The second line must contain at least 4 figures or ½ of the
figures in the first line, whichever is greater. If the lines belong to the same regiment then they will be treated as battle
groups. They need not belong to the same regiment. A third line is not allowed & will not take part in combat.
If a supported first line is defeated then it will never rout. It will suffer casualties, become shaken &
disordered, & will fall back to immediately behind the second line facing the enemy. If there is a second line then the
first line will never suffer adversely from the overlap modifier. If the second line is located with 4 inches (200 yards) of
the first line then it will be shaken & disordered if the first line falls back through it. If the first line is defeated then the
second line may automatically charge the unit that just defeated the first line. This may be done by both the attacker &
the defender. Any disorder acquired in the combat will not be applied until after all combats have been resolved.
CHARGES: CAVALRY VS INFANTRY OR ARTILLERY

When attacking infantry or artillery, then cavalry may conduct its attack in waves. Each wave must consist of
at least 4 figures. The cavalry will be considered to be broken down into battle groups with each wave comprising a
battle group. Separate waves must be located more or less directly behind each other with no more than 4 inches
between each wave. The waves may begin their attack adjacent to each other & may even be part of the same cavalry
column.
If a wave is defeated then it will not rout. It will be shaken & disordered & will fall back immediately behind
the last wave facing the enemy. If a wave is defeated then the player may immediately attack with the next wave. This
may be continued until all of the waves have conducted an attack.
Infantry or artillery in any formation will be defeated if the cavalry modified die roll exceeds the infantry’s
by 3 or more. Defeated infantry & artillery will rout & suffer 6 casualties.
CHARGES: CAVALRY SKIRMISHERS

Skirmish cavalry may charge either limbered or unlimbered artillery. It may not charge any other type of unit.
Charging skirmish cavalry must have a frontage of at least 2” per figure. The cavalry may be placed in a column so
long as the column has the proper frontage. Either the entire cavalry unit may charge or only a portion of the cavalry
unit may charge. If only a portion charges then it must contain at least 4 figures & the cavalry unit will be considered to
be broken down into skirmishing battle groups & will be treated as such for all purposes relating to the melee combat.
Only charging castings that overlap the artillery unit by no more than 2” will take part in the melee. Charging skirmish
cavalry will never receive the +5 modifier for cavalry charging.
Cavalry skirmishers may not charge in waves, but rather a single charge is conducted.
CHARGES: COSSACKS & IRREGULAR CAVALRY

Cossacks & Austrian Insurrection Cavalry may not charge an enemy unit unless one of the following
conditions apply. The defending unit is disordered or routed. The attacking unit is conducting a flank or rear attack. The
defender is in skirmish order.
CHARGES: OPPORTUNITY CHARGES

Cavalry units may conduct opportunity charges. An opportunity charge may only be conducted by the
nonphasing player. Disordered units may not conduct opportunity charges.
To conduct an opportunity charge an enemy unit must make some form of movement while within 8 inches
of the charging unit & while in its forward movement arc. A facing change & a formation change count as movement
for this purpose.
The opportunity charging unit announces its charge & the moving unit must immediately stop its movement.
It may complete a formation change but not a facing change. The opportunity charging unit must pass a Reaction Test
before it may charge. If it fails the Reaction Test it is disordered & the moving unit continues with its movement. If it
passes the Reaction Test then it conducts a charge.
The charged unit may stand, flee, or countercharge. It may only countercharge if the opponent is in its
forward movement arc. If it chooses to stand then it must pass a Reaction Test before it can change facing or formation.
It may change facing or formation, but not both.
An opportunity charging unit has a total movement of 8 inches.
REACTION TEST
Units must take a Reaction Test when attempting any of the following:
Performing an opportunity charge
Changing facing or formation in response to a charge
Attempting to fire at a charger at point blank range
Note that a charged infantry or cavalry unit that chooses to stand will always be required to take a Reaction
Test. Artillery is not required to take a Reaction Test. If a unit is reacting to a charge then it may change facing or
formation, but not both. It must pass a Reaction Test to do so. An infantry unit that chooses to stand before a charge &
that does not attempt to change its facing or formation must roll on the Reaction Test Table to fire at point blank range.
If it passes then it will receive a +2 die roll modifier to its fire. If it fails then it will be disordered & it will receive the –
1 DRM for firing by a disordered unit. Artillery that is charged may not change it’s facing & will always receive the +2
defense of battery modifier when firing at the charging unit.
Roll 1D10 on the Reaction Test Table. If the modified die roll is greater than the number listed under the Die
Roll column then the unit is successful in performing its action. Any unit that fails a reaction Test immediately
becomes disordered.
REACTION TEST TABLE

Troop Die Die Roll
Rating Roll Modifiers
Old Guard 2 Shaken –2 *French infantry +1
Superior 3 Leader attached +2/+1/+0 National Bonus +1
Excellent 4 *Reacting to Cavalry –3 Attempting PBF +1
Good 5 *Reacting to Infantry +2 *Infantry Column +1
Fair 6 *Charged at <6” -2
Poor 7 *Charged at >12” +3
Attempting PBF- Applies to an infantry unit that is attempting point blank fire.
Modifiers marked with a * apply only to units that are attempting to change facing or formation in response
to a charge. A disordered unit may not take a Reaction test. It must either flee from a charge or stand without changing
its facing or formation or attempting point blank fire.
MELEE COMBAT
Melee combat occurs when a combat unit successfully charges an enemy unit. The stands of the meleeing
units are placed in contact with each other. Both sides will determine the modified melee value of their unit involved in
the combat. Take the base melee value of the unit & apply any relevant modifiers. Both sides will then roll 1D10 & add
this to the modified melee value of their unit. The player with the greater total is the winner.
Troop Base Melee

Rating Value Melee Modifiers
Old Guard 20 Mass Cover
Superior 17 1.5 to 1 +2 Light +2
Excellent 15 2.0 to 1 +3 Medium +4
Good 13 3.0 to 1 +5 Heavy +6
Fair 10 4.0 to 1 +6 Sappers vs cover +2
Poor 8 vs Flank +12 Uphill +1
vs Routed +12
Shaken –2 Cavalry vs Infantry Cavalry vs Cavalry

Artillery -4 Charging +5 Charging +5

Cuirassier +2 Lancers +3 Heavier +2
Leader attached vs Square –9 Overlap +#
+2/+1/+0 vs Disordered Square -5 Infantry vs Infantry
vs Anchored Line -2 Charging +2
Square +6
Mass- Total the number of figures on both sides. The side with the most figures receives a mass modifier. Does not
apply in cavalry vs infantry or cavalry vs artillery melees.
vs Flank- If the attacking unit contacts the target on its flank or rear then this modifier will apply.
Cover- Applies only to the defender if he stood & did not countercharge or flee.
Uphill- Applies to the defending unit if it began the phase on a higher elevation & choose to stand.
Cavalry vs Cavalry, Heavier- If a unit is heavier than its opponent then apply this modifier.
Cavalry vs Cavalry, Overlap- If one side has a frontage that is greater than the other then apply this modifier. The side
with the greater frontage will receive a +1 for each figure it has greater than its opponent up to a maximum of +3.
Infantry vs Infantry, Square- If the opponent is in square then apply this modifier.
Cavalry vs Infantry, Disordered Square- Any square that has been formed after passing a Reaction Test in response to
a charge is disordered. See Melee: Squares.
Cavalry vs infantry, Anchored Line- Infantry in a line formation that has a column, square, or terrain obstacle within ½
inch of each end of the line
Subtract the higher total from the lower total. Consult the melee table to determine the effects on the fighting
units.
MELEE TABLE
Die Roll Combat
Difference Result
>5 Loser suffers 3 casualties & routs.
Winner takes ground, is disordered, & may breakthrough. Squares never breakthrough.
3 to 5 Loser suffers 2 casualties is shaken, & is disordered. Infantry falls back 4”, cavalry falls back 12”.
Winner takes ground & is disordered
0 to 2 Both sides become disordered & suffer 1 casualty. Roll again without any Charging
or Uphill modifiers.
Cavalry defeating infantry or artillery by a die roll difference of 3 or more will rout the enemy & cause a number
casualties equal to the number of cavalry figures. Artillery defeated in melee will always rout & the guns will be
captured. Infantry & artillery losing to cavalry will always rout & suffer a number of casualties equal to the number of
attacking cavalry figures.
A unit that is already shaken and then suffers a shaken result will rout. Impetuous units must breakthrough.
See Breakthroughs: Impetuous Units. If a unit must fall back as the result of a melee then it will disorder any friendly
units that it interpenetrates. It will continue to fall back till it is clear of all friendly units & has enough space on the
tabletop.
MELEE: MULTIPLE ROUNDS

After each round of combat, if there is no winner, then either side may attempt to break off from the melee.
The attacker is the first to announce if he wishes to break off. In order to break off the unit must pass a morale test. If it
fails then it falls 1 morale level (good to shaken or shaken to routed). If it passes then it suffers 1 casualty, is
disordered, & falls back 4 inches ( 8 inches for cavalry) facing the opponent. The victor may elect to take the ground.
Artillery may not roll to break off. Infantry may not break off when fighting cavalry.
When the Die roll difference is 0 to 2 & both sides choose to continue combat then die roll to resolve another
round of melee combat. Do not count charging or uphill modifiers.
MELEE COMBAT: SQUARES VS CAVALRY

There are no special rules governing a square in combat with infantry. Such a combat will be handled in the
usual fashion. The following rules apply when a square is attacked by cavalry.
If a second round of combat occurs then the cavalry will not receive the +5 charging bonus. Cavalry must
pass a Morale Test to break off. The square does not need to pass a morale test as it will automatically stand for a
second (or more) round of combat. A square will only suffer a disorder if the cavalry has a higher modified melee
combat die roll.
A square which is formed after passing a Reaction Test in response to a charge, is automatically disordered.
A square that suffers casualties from artillery fire is automatically disordered. Any square that moves is automatically
disordered. Any square that has a lower modified melee combat roll than an attacking cavalry unit is disordered.
A square that is subjected to a cavalry wave attack may conduct fire at each wave. Note that a disordered unit
is still never allowed to roll for point blank fire.
Example: A French infantry battalion in line (Rating = Good) is charged by regiment of Russian Dragoons. The
Russians conduct the attack with 2 waves. The French choose to stand & pass their Reaction Test. They are now in a
disordered square. They fire at the first line of cavalry with a –1 DRM for being disordered. The cavalry close & fight
the melee which they only win by a die roll difference of 2. The Russian commander conducts a Morale Test for his
cavalry which is passed. The cavalry withdraws from the combat & the second wave of Russian Dragoons now attack.
The square once again fires at the oncoming cavalry with a –1 DRM for being disordered. This time the Russian rolls
better & wins the melee by 5. The square is broken. The French infantry battalion suffers 6 casualties & routs. The
Russian cavalry did not win by enough to conduct a breakthrough.
MELEE COMBAT: MULTIPLE UNITS

An attacking combat unit must direct its attack against a single defender. In each combat there will always be
only one defending combat unit. If the attacking unit overlaps onto another defending unit then that overlapped
defender will not be effected by the combat. The figures that are overlapped may be included by the defender when
determining mass. They will not effect any other combat modifiers.
More than one attacking unit may take part in a combat. When this occurs & the attackers are infantry then
the attacking player must pick one unit as the primary attacker. All of the combat modifiers, except for mass, will be
determined by the primary attacker. Any other attacking units will only effect the mass modifier. All attackers will be
effected by the combat result. At least ½ of any casualties must be taken from the primary attacker.
If multiple cavalry units attack a cavalry unit then the combat is handled the same as for multiple infantry
units attacking an infantry unit. If multiple cavalry units attack an infantry or artillery unit then each unit will attack
separately. The attacker will decide the order in which the units attack. If the infantry unit is routed then any remaining
attackers may automatically breakthrough.
An infantry & a cavalry unit may never simultaneously charge the same enemy unit.
MELEE COMBAT: ATTACHED ARTILLERY

During the phasing player’s turn he may attach an artillery unit to an infantry unit. The infantry unit may be
in any formation but skirmish. The artillery unit must end its movement unlimbered & touching the infantry unit. The
attached artillery unit may be placed in front of the infantry unit or on either of its flanks. A limbered artillery unit may
never be attached to an infantry unit. An artillery unit may only be attached to one infantry unit at a time.
The attached artillery unit is considered to be part of the infantry unit. Whenever either unit takes a morale
test then both units must take a morale test. They will test morale separately, but if either unit routs then they will both
rout.
When a melee occurs then the attacker must melee the infantry unit. He may not choose to melee the artillery
unit. If the attacker contacts the artillery unit then the artillerist are considered to have taken refuge with the infantry
unit & the melee will be fought with the infantry unit. The results of the melee will be applied to both the infantry &
the artillery unit. Any casualties must be taken from the infantry unit.
An attached artillery unit that is charged may fire normally prior to the artillerymen taking refuge with its
attached infantry. The artillerymen may not remann their guns until their next movement phase & thus will not be
allowed to fire at a second wave of attacking cavalry.
The attached artillery may be detached during the player’s phase. Simply announce that it is detached & shift
the stands slightly so that they are no longer touching the infantry. An order is not required to detach or attach units.
BREAKTHROUGHS
If an attacker is eligible for a breakthrough then it may attack any enemy unit located in its forward
movement arc & within its charge bonus distance, which is 3 inches for infantry & 8 inches for cavalry. If there is no
unit to attack then it may advance up to its charge bonus.
When a unit conducts a breakthrough charge it will not apply the effects of disorder till after it has completed
all of its breakthrough movement. Cavalry may breakthrough more than once. Infantry may only breakthrough once. A
unit that is struck by a breakthrough charge may not change facing or formation. It may, however, elect to flee. The
defender will not be allowed to perform premelee fire if any unit interpenetrated it while fleeing or routing. The
defender must take a Reaction Test for point blank fire as usual & it will be disordered if it fails the Reaction Test. The
charger must pass a new Charge Test in order to close. It will, however, disregard any casualties that it has suffered up
to this point.
BREAKTHROUGHS: IMPETUOUS UNITS

Impetuous units must make its first breakthrough attack & breakthrough movement. The breakthrough
movement is doubled for impetuous units to 6 inches for infantry & 16 inches for cavalry units. If an impetuous unit
charges off of the tabletop then it will not return to the battle. All other units will stop before they charge off of the
tabletop. Impetuous infantry will not make a second breakthrough movement. Impetuous cavalry must make a morale
check before making a second or third (or more) breakthrough movement. If it passes the morale check then the player
may elect to forego further breakthrough movement.
BLOWN CAVALRY
After participating in a charge horses will generally be exhausted. To represent this, any cavalry unit that
takes part in a charge becomes disordered at the end of all breakthrough attacks.
TERRAIN
Cover is classified as light, medium, or heavy. Players should agree on the cover ratings of various terrain
features prior to the start of the battle. The following ratings are suggested:
Light- All woods & hedges, DRM –1 for musketry & 0 for artillery fire
Medium- Most buildings & stone walls, DRM –2 for musketry & -1 for artillery fire
Heavy- Most field fortifications, DRM –3 for musketry & -2 for artillery fire
A unit will receive the cover modifier if it is at least 50% in the cover. As artillery fire is more effective
against units in cover than musketry the modifier for artillery fire is not as strong.
Cavalry may never enter towns, medium, or heavy woods. Cavalry may charge into the first inch of light
woods at no penalty. Should they charge farther than 1 inch, either into or out of light woods, then they may complete
their charge but they will immediately be disordered & they will not receive the charge modifier in any melee.
An attacker may charge a target in cover & the target will receive the cover modifier in the melee. There will
be no other penalty to the charger. If the attacker crosses a terrain obstacle during the last 3 inches of its charge
movement then he will not receive the charge modifier in any melee. Possible terrain obstacles includes walls, ditches,
& streams.
MORALE RATING & MORALE STATES

All combat units will have a morale rating. This rating is fixed & does not change during the course of a game.
The possible morale ratings will be assigned as follows:
Old Guard- French Old Guard
Superior- All other guard units
Excellent- Grenadiers of most nationalities
Good- Veteran line troops of most countries
Fair- Nonveteran or lower quality veteran troops of most countries.
Poor- Militia
All combat units will also have a morale state. The unit’s morale state is not fixed & may change during the course
of a game. The possible morale states are:
Good- No effects.
Shaken- Will receive adverse die roll modifiers.
Routed- May not fire or charge. Must make a rout move each turn.
A colored marker such as a pipe cleaner should be placed on the unit to indicate its morale state. Suggested
markers are:
Good morale-No Marker
Shaken Morale-Yellow Marker
Routed-Red Marker
MORALE TESTS
A combat unit’s morale must be checked whenever one of the following circumstances occurs:
The unit suffers a loss due to fire combat

A friendly routed unit is within or moves within 6 inches
A division, corps, or army commander is disabled
The unit attempts to rally
Morale checks are not made for losses suffered during a melee or for losses suffered to fire while charging. The
Charge Test that is required of a charging unit replaces the Morale Test. A morale check is only made a maximum of
once each player’s turn for each of the above reasons.
No unit need ever check morale for routing skirmishers. Any unit with a morale rating (not morale state) of Good
or better (Old Guard, Superior, Excellent, or Good) need never check for a routing unit with a lower morale rating.
Whenever a morale check is required then it will be performed immediately. The player will roll 1D10 for
each combat unit making a check & consult the Morale Table. If the modified die roll is greater than the number listed
on the table then the unit will pass its morale check.
A unit that is attempting to rally will increase its morale state by one level if it passes its Morale Test. If it
fails the test then there is no penalty. Units which fail their Morale Test because they were forced to take one for any
other reason will have their morale state drop by one level. Any unit that falls to rout status will immediately move one
rout move.
MORALE TABLE
Morale Die Roll Die Roll Modifiers
Old Guard -1 Routed -3 Casualties
Superior 0 Shaken -1 20% -2
Excellent 1 Flanked -4 33% -4
Good 2 Light Cover +1 50% -6
Fair 3 Medium Cover +2 Leader Attached
Poor 4 Heavy Cover +2 +2, +1, +0
Canister –1
Shaken\Routed- The unit’s current morale state will modify the die roll. Only one of these modifiers will apply at a
time.
Flanked- This modifier will apply if the unit has just taken fire from its flank or rear.
Cover- If at least 50% of the combat unit is in cover then one of these modifiers will apply.
Canister- This will apply if the unit has just been fired on by artillery in canister range.
Casualties- Calculate the percentage of losses the unit has suffered based on its starting strength. Apply one modifier.
Artillery units total together both guns & crew.
Leader Attached- A leader attached to the combat unit will apply his modifier.
RALLYING ROUTED UNITS

Routed units will only be required to check morale when they are attempting to rally. A unit may attempt to rally from
rout whenever it has been given a rally order & it is not within 8 inches of a formed enemy unit. If successful then the
unit will improve by one morale state, from routed to shaken. It should then be placed in any desired formation other
than skirmish. Any turn that a routed unit fails to rally then it will then make a rout move. A unit may attempt to rally
from shaken status without an order. Once a routed unit moves off of the table top then it will not return.
VISIBILITY
Line of sight must be established by a combat unit to a target unit before it may be fired upon or charged. All
units have a line of sight that extends in all 360 degrees. The maximum line of sight under ideal conditions is 30 inches.
Woods may be seen into to a depth of one inch.
For a unit to be visible at least 2 figures must be visible. Line of sight is blocked by any friendly & enemy
troops that are not in skirmish formation. Line of sight is also blocked by terrain features such as woods, buildings, &
hills. Terrain features that block line of sight (at least those that are not obvious) should be defined by the players prior
to the beginning of a scenario.
It is possible to see over troops if on a higher elevation or if the unit one is spotting is on a higher elevation.
To see over troops they must be at least 4 inches away from both the spotter & the spotted unit. This means that it will
be possible for artillery to fire over units if the artillery or its target is on a higher elevation.
SKIRMISHERS
Some infantry & cavalry units are allowed to skirmish. These units may have all or only a portion of their
figures skirmish. The troop lists state which units may skirmish & which may not.
Some infantry units will be listed as having Organic Skirmishers. Each such unit will be able to detach a
certain number of figures to skirmish. Prior to the beginning of a battle these organic skirmishers may be taken out of
their parent battalions & converged into skirmish battalions. Once they have been reorganized in this fashion then they
must remain so for the entire battle.
Units in skirmish formation have their stands spaced out so that infantry occupy 1 to 2 inches per figure &
cavalry occupy 2 to 4 inches per figure. Skirmish units have no facing & no flanks.
Skirmishers may not be deployed between opposing formed units that are within 3 inches of each other. If
they begin a turn deployed between opposing formed units that are within musket range of each other then they must be
withdrawn.
Units in skirmish formation never require orders.
SKIRMISHERS: MOVEMENT
It costs a unit all of it’s move to break down into skirmish formation. The cost of the formation change
includes the movement necessary to properly space out the castings into skirmish formation. Either all or only a portion
of a unit may break down into skirmish formation.
Skirmishers will move through all passable terrain as if it were clear terrain. They may move through friendly
units & be moved through at no penalty.
SKIRMISHERS: APPROACHING CAVALRY

Cavalry was the greatest enemy of skirmishers. Infantry skirmishers may not approach to within 5 inches &
within the charge arc of formed enemy cavalry. Infantry may only approach to within 5 inches of formed enemy
cavalry if either it remains out of the cavalry’s charge arc or if it occupies ground that the cavalry may not charge into.
This includes any type of woods, towns, or across a river.
SKIRMISHERS: RETREAT BEFORE AN ADVANCING ENEMY

Skirmishers will automatically retreat before any advancing formed units. They will be moved so as to
always stay two inches away from advancing formed combat units. Advancing formed cavalry will force skirmishers
back until the skirmishers have moved their full movement, which is 12 inches for infantry & 18 inches for cavalry. If
the cavalry continues to advance then the infantry skirmishers will immediately rout & lose 1 figure for every two
advancing cavalry figures. Formed cavalry may drive back & even run down enemy skirmishers by merely advancing.
It is not necessary for the cavalry to charge. If the cavalry charges skirmishers then it will receive the charge bonus.
Cavalry skirmishers will always continue to retreat enough to remain 2 inches out of reach.
SKIRMISHERS: COMBAT
Infantry skirmishers will fire as normal infantry & will receive 2 fire points per figure. They may not,
however, fire at other skirmishers. Skirmishers will only conduct melee combat with other skirmishers. No charge test
is conducted. Simply move the skirmishers into contact with the opposing skirmishers. Neither side will receive a die
roll modifier for charging. All skirmishers within three inches of an enemy skirmisher will be included in the battle.
Cavalry skirmishers may fire the same as infantry skirmishers though they will only receive 1 fire point per
figure. This is the only time that cavalry may fire.
SKIRMISHERS: SCREENS, VISIBILTY, & INTERPENETRATION

Skirmishers do not block visibility. Artillery may fire through enemy skirmishers at a target behind them. The
firer completely ignores the skirmishers. The subject of the fire may take the first hit caused by the artillery from the
skirmishers. Infantry & skirmishers may not fire through skirmishers.
If enemy skirmishers are within musket (3”) or rifle (5”) range of artillery then the artillery suffers a –1
“screened” modifier whenever it fires.
Combat units may move through friendly skirmishers with no penalty. Artillery may fire through friendly
infantry skirmishers that are located beyond canister range with a penalty of a –1 DRM on the Fire Combat Table. If
the artillery rolls a 0 or negative result when firing then the friendly skirmishers suffer 1 casualty & rout.
Infantry units that charge through a friendly screen of skirmishers during the last 3 inches of its charge
movement are considered to be partially screened from hostile fire during the charge. They will receive a +1 die roll
modifier (skirmish screen) when rolling on the Charge Test Table.
SKIRMISHERS: ORGANIC SKIRMISHERS

Infantry units with organic skirmishers, or with a skirmish ability, receive favorable die roll modifiers when
fired at by enemy skirmishers (-1) & when conducting a Charge Test (+1). The organic skirmishers are handled
abstractly & are assumed to be deployed at the appropriate moment. No figures are actually detached from the battalion
& moved separately.
Combat units that have had their organic skirmishers removed prior to the battle & converged into skirmish
battalions do not count as having organic skirmishers.
TOWNS: BLOCKS
Combat & movement in built up areas follows special rules. Towns will be divided up into town blocks.
Blocks may be purchased or they may be made out of felt or wood. It is suggested that no block be smaller than 2 X 2
inches nor larger than 6 X 6 inches. Each block will contain multiple structures. This should be represented by placing
a building on each block.
Blocks of the same town should be placed next to each other. They may be separated by a road, stream, or river.
Unless defined otherwise in a scenario, a town block will be considered to be adjacent to another town block if it is
within 2 inches of it & there is no impassable obstacle between them.
The size of the town block will determine how many combat units that it may hold.
SIZE (Sq inches) # OF UNITS

4 to 6 1
6.1 to 16 2
16.1 to 26 3
26.1 to 36 4
TOWNS: MOVEMENT INTO & OUT OF TOWN BLOCKS

Cavalry may never enter a town block. Infantry or artillery expends ½ of its movement to either enter or exit
a town block. Units that occupy a block have no formation. Units that exit a block are immediately placed adjacent to
the block in any desired formation. They may then continue with their movement. Artillery in a town block is always
assumed to be unlimbered.
Combat units may move directly from one town block to an adjacent town block. It consumes all of their
movement to do so.
TOWNS: FIRE COMBAT

Combat units may fire into a town block. In addition to the cover modifier they will also apply the town
modifier. Combat units in a town block are dispersed & are in no set formation. This additional modifier reflects this
dispersal.
When firing at a town block the block is the target, not a specific unit. Casualties will be distributed by the
defender as evenly as possible amongst all units in the town block. Combat units in a town block may fire out of the
town block normally. Up to 1 figure per inch may fire out of each side.
TOWNS: MELEE COMBAT

Combat units may charge defenders in a town block. A charging unit must target only one defender in the
town block. The defender may choose which combat unit will defend. All other defending units in the town block will
be counted toward the defender’s mass, but they will not be effected by the combat.
If multiple combat units charge a town block then the defender will still choose which units will defend. A
targeted defender may not add its mass into any other combat.
A charged combat unit that is in a town block must choose to stand. It may not choose to countercharge or
flee. Combat units in a town block may not charge out of the block. They must first exit the block & be placed into a
formation. On a subsequent turn they may then charge normally.
If the defender losses the melee die roll by a difference of >5 in favor of the attacker then the defender will be
forced to leave the town block. He may be placed in any formation desired with any desired facing at the appropriate
distance from the block.
If the defender losses the melee by a difference of 3 to 5, then the defender will remain in the town block &
the attacker will enter the town block. The town block will now be contested.
A winning charger will always enter a town block. A breakthrough may never be conducted by a winner in a
town block.
TOWNS: ATTACKING A TOWN BLOCK FROM AN ADJACENT TOWN BLOCK

A combat unit may attack into an adjacent enemy occupied town block. The procedure is as follows:
During the Movement Subsegment announce the attack

Defending units in the attacked block fire at the attacker in the Defensive Fire Subsegment
The attacking unit may fire at the defender in the Offensive Fire Subsegment
Resolve the Melee in the Melee Subsegment
The attacking unit will not receive a cover modifier when fired upon if it must cross a road, stream, ditch, or
other significant open area to reach the defending town block. It will otherwise receive an appropriate cover modifier.
Both the attacking & defending unit will be required to take a Morale Test should either suffer any casualties
as a result of fire. The attacker will not be required to take a Charge Test.
TOWNS: CONTESTED BLOCKS

After a melee has occurred it is possible that the Phase will end with troops of both sides occupying the same
town block. Any units that begin their phase occupying the same town block as enemy units must engage them in
melee. As this is mandatory, no order is needed. Follow the procedure as outlined in the section “Towns: Attacking a
Town Block from an Adjacent Town Block.”
Instead of conducting a melee the player may elect to withdraw such units from the contested block. A
Retreat order is required for a withdrawal. The withdrawn units will not rout but will leave the town block in the usual
manner.
Fire combat may not be conducted by units outside of the town block on units which occupy a contested
block.
REDOUBTS
Infantry & artillery units may be placed in redoubts. Units in a redoubt will only suffer flank fire if they are
attacked through an open side of the redoubt. The stands should be distributed so as to defend all contested sides of the
redoubt. Most redoubts will only hold 1 infantry battalion. In addition there may be 1 artillery battery per face of the
redoubt. Players may need to make alterations as determined by the size of the redoubt model.
Units defending in a redoubt may never charge out of the redoubt through one of its faces. They may,
however, charge out of an open side of the redoubt. Artillery in a redoubt may be attached to any infantry which may
also be in the redoubt. A redoubt will generally count as heavy cover.
BRITISH INFANTRY
British infantry that is in line & that is charged by enemy infantry may elect to fire with a –1 die roll modifier
& counter charge. British infantry that elect this option do not take a Reaction Test.
OPTIONAL RULES
PREBATTLE MANUEVER
In historical battles troops will be deployed as per their actual locations (or at least as best as can be learned
from sources.) For nonhistorical battles in which there is to be no prebattle maneuver, it recommended that both sides
make up 3 x 5" cards each with the name of a formation (usually a brigade) written on one side. The cards should be
placed face down onto the tabletop into the area that the represented unit will deploy. Once all cards are deployed they
are then turned face up & the represented units are placed onto the tabletop. Units must be placed within 3" of their
card.
When there is to be prebattle maneuver then the following procedure should be utilized. Cards will be
deployed onto the tabletop. Players may wish to have each light cavalry unit represented by its own card. Players will
then die roll for initiative with the player winning the initiative moving all of his cards. Once his movement is
completed the opposing player is allowed to move any pure light cavalry units. Then die roll again for initiative. The
winning player will once again move all of his units.
Cards representing infantry & foot artillery may move 8" & cards representing cavalry & horse artillery may
move 16". A card may never be moved closer than 16" to an enemy card. Once a card is 16" from of an enemy card it
is considered to be pinned & may not be moved again. All pinned cards are immediately turned up so that all players
may see which units they represent. Instead of moving a card the player may deploy its troops. The troops should be
placed on the tabletop in any desired formation. They must be placed within 3” of the card. Deployed troops may not
be further moved during prebattle movement.
Movement is continued for at least 4 initiative die rolls. After 4 initiative die rolls have been completed then
the player with the initiative may decide to end prebattle movement. An initiative player may end prebattle instead of
moving his cards (i.e., he must announce an end to prebattle movement as soon as he wins the initiative. He may not
move all of his cards & then announce an end to movement.) It is possible that one player may never win the initiative
& will never get a chance to move.
When prebattle movement is completed all cards then have their troops set up onto the tabletop. Any troops
set up at this time must be placed in a march column. Artillery must be limbered. The troops must be placed within 3”
of their card. It is recommend that both players be allotted a few dummy cards. Dummy cards are removed from play
once they are turned up & will not pin enemy units.
VARIBLE TROOP QUALITY

Needless to say, units did not always behave in a predictable fashion. To allow for this, players may wish to
use this option providing for some unpredictability in troop performance. The first time a unit must use its morale
rating roll 1D10 on the Troop Quality Chart to determine its actual rating. The unit will have this rating for the
remainder of the game.
Troop List Actual Game Rating

Rating Old Guard Superior Excellent Good Fair Poor
Old Guard 10—6 5-3 2-1 --- --- ---
Superior 10 9-4 3-2 1 --- ---
Excellent 10 9-8 7-4 3-2 1 ---
Good --- 10 9-8 7-4 3-2 1
Fair --- --- 10 9-8 7-4 3-1
Poor --- --- --- 10-9 8-6 5-1
If Napoleon or Wellington is present as the commander, then modify that sides troop quality die rolls by +1.
Battalions may be labeled by using one of the common sticky labels sold at office supply stores. Place the label of the
bottom of the command stand.
RANDOM CORPS COMMANDER

Players may wish to die roll to randomly select a corps commander. Roll 1D10 on each of the below tables to
determine the Corps commanders leadership rating & tactical rating.
Die Roll Leadership Rating Die Roll Tactical Rating Die Roll Modifier
10 Excellent 9, 10 Good Great Britain, France +2
8,9 Good 3 to 8 Average Austria, Prussia +0
5,6,7 Average 1, 2 Poor Russia -1
2,3 Fair Spain, Turkey -2
1 Poor
VARIABLE LEADER ABILITY

This rule makes provision for the fact that a commander may be having a particularly good or bad day. To determine
the rating of a Corps or Army commander roll 1D10. The modified die roll will determine the commanders rating for
this day. On a multiple day battle roll again for each day.
Die Roll
10 Up 2 levels
8, 9 Up 1 level
4, 5, 6, 7 Use Standard Rating
2, 3 Down 1 level
1 Down 2 levels
IMPETUOUS TROOPS
During the first Action Phase that impetuous troops are phasing & begin within charge range of an enemy
unit they must roll for an uncontrolled charge. Roll 1D10. On a 1 or 2 they must charge any enemy that is within
charge range. This roll need only be made once per unit per game.
LEADER MOBILITY
One quality characteristic of better leaders was their ability to move about the battlefield observing what was
happening & taking control of difficult situations. In the basic rules all leaders may move 20 inches per turn. Players
may wish to modify the mobility of their leaders as suggested below.
French & British leaders: 20 inches

Austrian & Prussian leaders: 16 inches
Russian, Ottoman Empire, Spanish leaders: 12 inches
Excellent: Increase movement allowance by 4 inches
Poor: Decrease movement allowance by 2 inches
DIVISIONAL MORALE
In some battles it will be useful to have a point at which a force must quit fighting & withdraw from the field.
This will be particularly useful if players are playing out a campaign game. To accomplish this total up the number of
infantry battalions, artillery batteries, & cavalry regiments in each division. For this purpose all brigades should be
assigned to a division. When the % of routing combat units that belong to a division is equal to the Withdrawal % of an
army then the division must withdraw from the field. When a division is required to withdraw it will no longer need to
roll for order points. All of the units in the division must be placed in column formation & must move toward their
edge of the board at the operational movement rate. Players may want to simply end the game at this point rather than
play out the withdrawal. If they choose to end the game then increase the casualties suffered by the withdrawing side
by 20%. Sample Withdrawal %’s of armies are as follows:
France 60% Prussia 50%

Great Britain 60% Spain 40%
Russia 60% Ottoman Empire 40%
Austria 50%
DEFINITIONS
About Face- To perform an about face simply face the unit in the opposite direction from which it is currently facing.
An about face costs a unit ½ of its total movement allowance.
Anchored Line- Infantry in a line formation that has a column, square, or terrain obstacle within ½ inch of each end of
the line counts as being in an anchored line for melee.
Attack Column- An attack column is 2 stands wide. French & French allied infantry units, Austrian infantry beginning
in 1809, & Russian infantry may use an attack column. Refer to the troop lists for other infantry that may use an attack
column. All cavalry units may use an attack column
Blown Cavalry- Any cavalry unit that takes part in a charge becomes disordered at the end of all breakthrough attacks.
Breakthrough- If an attacker is eligible for a breakthrough then it may attack any enemy unit located in its forward
movement arc & within its charge bonus distance, which is 3 inches for infantry & 8 inches for cavalry. Cavalry may
breakthrough more than once. Infantry may only breakthrough once.
Cavalry Battle group- Cavalry may form battle groups. Each battle group must have at least 4 figures when it is formed.
Battle groups will function independently of each other. They will check morale separately, receive separate orders, &
keep separate track of any casualties that are suffered.
Charge Arc- A unit may only declare a charge against an enemy unit that is in its forward movement arc.
Charge Bonus- Units that conduct a charge will receive a movement bonus of 3 inches for infantry & 8 inches for
cavalry.
Command Range- If any portion of a combat unit is within the commander’s range & line of sight then it is considered
to be in command. Neither friendly nor enemy units block line of sight for this purpose. Only terrain will block line of
sight for command purposes.
Defense of Battery- Artillery firing in defense of the battery. This applies only when an artillery unit is firing on a unit
that is charging it. Artillery need not pass a Reaction Test to receive this modifier.
Disorder- In general there are 2 types of disorder in miniature wargame rules. One type of disorder relates to the morale
of the unit. In this rule set this state is called “Shaken” & is dealt with under the morale rules. The second type of
disorder is a mechanical one in which the units formation becomes somewhat “jumbled up.” This is referred to as
disorder in this rule set
Disordered Square- Any square that has been formed after passing a Reaction Test in response to a charge is
disordered. Any square with a disorder marker on it is a disordered square.
Engagement Range- A unit is considered to be engaged with the enemy when it begins the phase in which it is a
Phasing unit with a nonrouted enemy unit that is not in skirmish formation within 8 inches.
Firefight- A firefight can apply to musketry that occurs in the Defensive Fire & Firefight Subsegment. If the target
began the subsegment in musketry range then apply this modifier. This reflects the fact that the target was within
musketry range for the entire 20 minute turn.
Flank- For artillery fire a flanking arc is defined as extending 30 degrees from the end of the line toward the front & 30
degrees from the end of the line toward the rear. Use the artillery arc game aid to determine this. Place it on the end of
the line receiving fire. If the firing battery lies within 30 degrees of the end of the line then it will receive the +1 fire
point per gun for flank fire. For all other purposes a flank is defined as follows. The front of the unit is the direction in
which the miniature figures are facing. A line drawn along the front edge of the unit perpendicular to the direction in
which the figures point, defines the front of the unit. Everything behind this line is the flank/rear of the unit.
Forward Movement Arc- The forward movement arc is a pie shaped wedge. The sides of the wedge angle out 22.5
degrees from the front of the unit.
Impetuous- An impetuous unit must make its first breakthrough attack & breakthrough movement. The breakthrough
movement is doubled for impetuous units to 6 inches for infantry & 16 inches for cavalry units
Interpenetration- If there is an overlap of 1 full figure then a unit is considered to have interpenetrated the other unit.
National Bonus- This will only apply to infantry units. If the unit is in a formation favored by its national doctrine for
attacking then this DRM is applied to the Charge Test & to the Reaction Test. The intent of this rule is to encourage
historical formations
Oblique Movement- Infantry may move in a direction out of its forward movement arc. Move the unit in the desired
direction while maintaining its current facing. Each inch moved will count as double.
Operational Movement- Whenever a combat unit begins & ends its movement out of engagement range it may use
Operational Movement. A unit using Operational Movement will move at double its normal rate.
Organic Skirmishers- Some line infantry units contain a company of skirmishers. These are called organic skirmishers.
The organic skirmishers are handled abstractly & are assumed to be deployed at the appropriate moment. Units with
organic skirmishers receive a DRM on the Fire Combat Table & on the Charge Test Table.
Point Blank Fire- Applies to an infantry unit that is the target of a charge & has passed its reaction test to fire at point
blank range.
Shaken- This is a poor morale state. A unit that is shaken will receive adverse DRM when firing, meleeing, charging, or
attempting to rally or react.
Skirmishers- Some infantry & cavalry units are allowed to skirmish. These units may have all or only a portion of their
figures skirmish. The troop lists state which units may skirmish & which may not.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Examples of infantry formations & arcs of fire.
This unit may charge any enemy

that is within its charge arc. The charge The flank for artillery fire is a 30
arc is defined prior to any movement. degree arc from the end of the stand.
DESIGNER NOTES
MOUNTING OF TROOPS
The rules were designed for 15mm figures. No doubt they can be played with other scales. If one wishes to use 25mm
figures then I would recommend that you follow the mounting guidelines in Empire by Jim Getz & Scotty Bowden. In
such a case 1 inch will equal 32 yards. Three rank infantry will have a frontage of 1/2" per figure & a depth of 3/4".
Two rank infantry will have a frontage of 5/8" per figure & a depth of 3/4". Cavalry will have a frontage of 1" per
figure & Artillery 1" per gun. Depth will be as needed to fit the figure comfortably on the stand.
Each infantry & cavalry casting represents 60 combatants while each artilleryman represents around 30 artillery crew.
Each model gun can represent from 2 guns to an entire battery, depending on ones budget & time for painting. All of
this is very standard for miniature Napoleonics games & leads to maximum compatibility with other popular rule sets.
If one has troops mounted for Napoleon's Battles, by Avalon Hill, then they may also be used. Each infantry figure will
still represent 60 men (though 50 would be better for purists) while each cavalry figure will represent 30 men. This
means a bit more painting is in order or one must simply settle for smaller cavalry units. Each hit on a cavalry unit will
kill 2 figures. My best suggestion is simply to remount the cavalry as the Napoleon's Battles mounting system for
cavalry has always been a bit unsatisfactory. Each artillery battery will represent 4 guns.
SCALE
Turns are 20 minutes & the ground scale is 50 yards per hex. A little math reveals that this allots a frontage of 34
inches per man & a 3 rank battalion of 720 men in line will have a frontage of 4.5 inches or 675 feet. This is admittedly
a little generous as the prescribed frontage per man was between 22 inches & 27 inches which would give a spacing of
440 to 540 feet for a battalion in line. Using these figures the ground scale would be 32 to 40 yards per inch. Forty
yards per inch is the ground scale chosen in Empire. I chose a scale of 50 yards per inch because it is a round number, it
has the effect of forcing players to spread out their battalions in a more historical fashion, & in fact the difference will
not adversely effect either game mechanics or play. Players may wish to consider this if they have special concerns
regarding a historical battlefield. I will note here that Brent Nosworthy states his belief that on the battlefield troops
required more space per man than on the parade ground. He says that 22 inches per man was not practical under such
conditions & that 27 to 30 inches per man was the actual space allotted under battlefield conditions.
A similar analysis can be made of cavalry frontage, but I will spare the reader. The basic fact, should one wish to
pursue it, is that a single cavalryman should be allotted a frontage of 36" to 48". Our scale allows 45" per trooper.
Guns were generally sited 12 to 20 yards apart. Our scale allots a frontage of 19 yards per gun.
MOVEMENT
A pace was generally defined as being 2 to 2.5 feet. A little experimentation will demonstrate that this is a rather
optimistic assumption for the usual length of a pace & supposedly tacticians of the time allowed for a pace as short as
12 inches. Given the unevenness of even the flattest cow pastures I have visited it would seem that they were wise in
making such an allowance. Using this "short step" one arrives at march rate of between 25 yards per minute & up to 40
yards per minute (ordinary step of 75 paces per minute vs quick step of around 100 paces per minute. The charge step
was 120 paces per minute but this was not sustainable except over the shortest distances.) Hence we have arrived at a
theoretical infantry move of 500 yards (10") to 800 yards (16") in a 20 minute turn. The actual game move for infantry
varies between 4" & 16". The slower move is for units moving near the enemy in line while the faster move is for units
far away from the enemy & moving in column. Infantry also are given a charge bonus of 3". The reason for the
generally slower movement rates are several. First off things will never go as smoothly on the battlefield as on the
parade ground. Secondly a portion of the time was not spent moving. Some time must be allowed for the necessary
command decisions resulting in selecting a final destination. You have to decide where to go before you can leave! The
closer one is to the enemy the more distractions & hindrances there are. Inertia increases as the easiest choice in the
face of danger is not to march ahead!
Cavalry were trained to ride at a standard walk of 100 yards per minute, to trot at 200 yards per minute, & to gallop at
300 yards per minute. Using these rates cavalry would be able to move 40" per turn at a walk & 80" per turn at a trot!
Here the greatest compromise was made. In the name of playability the old wargaming rule that cavalry should move
twice as far as infantry was invoked. I suppose it just takes those cavalry commanders a bit more time to make up their
minds as to where they want to go. It is possible, however, to move light cavalry in column up to 36" so long as they
stay out of engagement range.
Supposedly a French artillery team walked at a rate of about 90 yards per minute giving a potential movement of 36"
per turn. Once again this rate was drastically reduced in order to increase playability & to reflect the necessary time for
command decisions.
FIRE COMBAT
Musketry range was limited to 3" (150 yards.) Tests results, under nonbattlefield conditions, suggests that the hit rate
was around 40 to 50% at 150 yards with a smoothbore musket. Believe it or not there is actually some battlefield data
available & estimates that incorporate it give a hit rate of 20% at 150 yards, about 12% at 200 yards, & about 8% at 300
yards. If a wargamer is given a 1% chance of scoring a hit then he is generally going to take it. To avoid the inclusion
of ammunition levels with its attending complications I choose to limit musket fire to 150 yards. If one wishes to
incorporate it then men generally carried from 30 to 60 rounds & could get off about 2 rounds per minute under
battlefield conditions. Once a unit had empty ammo packs then I would imagine its morale would be adversely
effected.
Canister range was limited to 6" (300 yards.) There was of course both heavy & light canister with heavy canister
carrying up to 600 yards but 500 being a more practical limit. The extreme range of light case was around 250 yards.
The theoretical effectiveness of case at 300 yards was around a 35 to 40% hit rate. Generally 2 round shot or 3 case
rounds could be fired per minute. Batteries carried between 150 rounds & 70 rounds per gun depending on the caliber.
Once again a compromise has been made & I settled on 300 yards with ever present ammo limits in mind. Effective
range was limited to 800 yards. BP Huges states that it was possible to use the ricochet effect up to this range &
Haythornthwaite says that the maximum effective range of all field pieces, regardless of size, was 1000 yards or less.
Interestingly, a contemporary analyst, the famous Muller, estimated that a 6 lb shot was 50% more effective than a 3 lb
ball, & a 12 lb ball twice as effective as a 3 pdr. The rules actually are fairly close to these estimates.
MELEE
The following is a probability analysis of a melee between a charging infantry battalion & an identical infantry
battalion that has chosen to not countercharge. We will assume that both infantry battalions are rated as good & have
12 figures each. The standing battalion conducted premelee fire.
The probable number of Premelee casualties caused by musketry is 2.18 This accounts for the chance that the
defending battalion may be able to conduct point blank premelee fire & assumes that the attacker is in column.
The probability of the charging battalion closing is 50% if it has organic skirmishers & 40% if it does not. This assumes
that the battalion suffers 2 hits, though it could suffer as few as 0 (60 to 70% chance of closing) & as many as 4 (20 to
30% chance of closing.)
The charging unit will receive the +2 modifier. The defender is assumed to not be in cover or located uphill. The
probabilities of the various outcomes of the melee are:
First Round of Combat Attacker Defender Tie
Any Win 45% 15% 40%
Major Win 28% 6% 40%
In the second round of combat the attacker will not receive the benefit of the +2 charging modifier.
Second Round of Combat Attacker Defender Tie
Any Win 28% 28% 44%
Major Win 15% 15% 44%
The overall chance of the attacker taking the ground from the defender is about 25 to 30%.
Factors that the defender can manipulate to improve his defense would include such things as being in cover, being
uphill, increasing premelee fire by placing a battery or other supporting troops within range. The defender could also
countercharge.
The attacker can increase his chances of success by using a second battalion to attack with or by causing the defender
to become shaken prior to attacking. If the attacking battalion does not have skirmishers then the attacker may obtain
another favorable modifier by covering his attacking troops with skirmishers.
The difference in troop classes is 2 or 3 points per class. For example, Good troops have a melee rating of 13 while
Excellent troops have a rating of 15, with Fair troops having a rating of 10. 1D10 is rolled as the random factor in
determining the outcome of a melee. The probability of the difference in the 2 opponents die roll being greater than 2 is
56% & of being greater than 3 is 42%. Hence the importance of randomness is substantial. This is meant to represent
variables which a player could not control or anticipate. In addition troop ratings are far from perfect. Certainly not all
of the line battalions of a given army would perform the same. Any given battalion may also have its performance vary
with time. A commander would not know exactly which battalions should be having a good day or a bad day.
For players who want a smaller role for luck then this could be achieved by using 1D6 to resolve melees. If this is done
then the charge bonus for infantry needs to be reduced to +1 & the charge bonus for cavalry reduced to +3. In order to
obtain about the same number of decisive wins on the melee table then the top winning category need to be changed to
>3. A tie, or reroll result would be obtained on a 1 or 2. If this option is used then players should probably use the
optional rule for variable troop quality. Cavalry would defeat a square on a difference of >2.
COMMAND & ORDERS

As in most wargames the command system is designed to hinder players & to prevent them from doing too much at one
time. Players will need to keep the troops of a single command fairly close together in order to maintain control of their
army.
The order point system is inspired by DBM. In DBM one rolls a die & the number obtained is the number of orders that
one has. A single order may be issued to similar units whose bases are touching. In Old Trousers an Order Point Table
is used as this allows for more flexibility in command structure. A single order may be issued to multiple units if they
are all in the command range of their division or brigade commander.
One will find that at the beginning of the battle, when troops are out of engagement range (8 inches), then players will
generally have more than enough orders. The one exception is if one splits up a command & sends some of its combat
units on a mission, such as a flanking move, that takes them out of the commander's command range. I suggest that at
the beginning of the game when troops are out of engagement range that the players roll for orders, determine that they
have enough, & then just move the troops without keeping close track of the orders spent. This will speed up play.
Once troops come into engagement range then a shortage of orders will begin to develop & players will need to keep
careful track of their order points. This will be particularly true for armies other than French & British ones. The
shortage of orders will become a major concern once units begin to rout. One will probably not be able to comfortably
both rally troops & carry on an attack. John P Kelly August 2001

Old Trousers: Battalion Level Napoleonic Warfare

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OLD TROUSERS

WARFARE IN THE HORSE & MUSKET ERA

BATTALION LEVEL NAPOLEONIC WARFARE

“Old Trousers: Warfare in the Horse & Musket Era”

ARMY ORGANIZATION ..................................................................................................................... 6

SEQUENCE OF PLAY .......................................................................................................................... 7

INITIATIVE PHASE ............................................................................................................................. 8

RANDOM EVENT PHASE ................................................................................................................... 8

ORDERS: ORDER POINT TABLE .................................................................................................... 10

ORDERS: OUT OF COMMAND ........................................................................................................ 10

ENGAGEMENT RANGE .................................................................................................................... 10

COMMANDERS: COMMAND RANGE ............................................................................................ 11

COMMANDERS: ATTACHMENT & CASUALTIES ....................................................................... 12

MOVEMENT: SEQUENCE ................................................................................................................ 12

MOVEMENT: FORWARD MOVEMENT, FACING, & FLANKS................................................... 12

MOVEMENT: ABOUT FACE ............................................................................................................ 12

MOVEMENT: FACING CHANGE..................................................................................................... 12

MOVEMENT: OBLIQUE & RETROGRADE ................................................................................... 13

MOVEMENT: CAVALRY .................................................................................................................. 13

CAVALRY BATTLE GROUPS .......................................................................................................... 14

MOVEMENT: FORMATION CHANGES ......................................................................................... 14

MOVEMENT: RATES ........................................................................................................................ 14

MOVEMENT: TERRAIN EFFECTS.................................................................................................. 14

MOVEMENT: INTERPENETRATION ............................................................................................. 15

MOVEMENT: CHARGES .................................................................................................................. 15

MOVEMENT: ROUTS ........................................................................................................................ 16

FIRE COMBAT: SEQUENCE ............................................................................................................ 16

FIRE COMBAT: MUSKETRY ........................................................................................................... 17

FIRE COMBAT: ARTILLERY........................................................................................................... 18

FIRE COMBAT: FLANK FIRE BY ARTILLERY ............................................................................ 18

FIRE COMBAT: ARTILLERY BOUNCE THROUGH..................................................................... 19

FIRE COMBAT: OPPORTUNITY FIRE ........................................................................................... 19

FIRE COMBAT: VISIBILITY ............................................................................................................ 19

CHARGES: GENERAL RULES ......................................................................................................... 19

CHARGES: FLANK ATTACKS......................................................................................................... 20

CHARGES: DEFENDERS REACTION ............................................................................................. 20

CHARGES: CHARGE TESTS ............................................................................................................ 21

CHARGES: CAVALRY RECALL...................................................................................................... 21

CHARGES: CAVALRY VS CAVALRY............................................................................................. 21

CHARGES: CAVALRY VS INFANTRY OR ARTILLERY.............................................................. 22

CHARGES: CAVALRY SKIRMISHERS........................................................................................... 22

CHARGES: COSSACKS & IRREGULAR CAVALRY ..................................................................... 22

CHARGES: OPPORTUNITY CHARGES.......................................................................................... 22

REACTION TEST ............................................................................................................................... 23

MELEE: MULTIPLE ROUNDS ......................................................................................................... 24

MELEE COMBAT: SQUARES VS CAVALRY ................................................................................ 24

MELEE COMBAT: MULTIPLE UNITS............................................................................................ 25

MELEE COMBAT: ATTACHED ARTILLERY................................................................................ 25

BREAKTHROUGHS: IMPETUOUS UNITS ..................................................................................... 26

BLOWN CAVALRY ............................................................................................................................ 26

MORALE RATING & MORALE STATES........................................................................................ 26

RALLYING ROUTED UNITS ............................................................................................................ 28

SKIRMISHERS: MOVEMENT .......................................................................................................... 28

SKIRMISHERS: APPROACHING CAVALRY ................................................................................. 28

SKIRMISHERS: RETREAT BEFORE AN ADVANCING ENEMY................................................. 29

SKIRMISHERS: COMBAT ................................................................................................................ 29

SKIRMISHERS: SCREENS, VISIBILTY, & INTERPENETRATION............................................. 29

SKIRMISHERS: ORGANIC SKIRMISHERS.................................................................................... 29

TOWNS: BLOCKS .............................................................................................................................. 29

TOWNS: MOVEMENT INTO & OUT OF TOWN BLOCKS ........................................................... 30

TOWNS: FIRE COMBAT ................................................................................................................... 30

TOWNS: MELEE COMBAT .............................................................................................................. 30